Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

तं श्रुत्वा तस्य विप्रस्य यमः शापं सुदारुणम् । स्वधर्मे वर्तमानस्तु ततो दुःखा न्वितोऽभवत्

Transliteration

taṃ śrutvā tasya viprasya yamaḥ śāpaṃ sudāruṇam | svadharme vartamānastu tato duḥkhā nvito'bhavat

Translation

ครั้นได้สดับคำสาปอันน่าสะพรึงยิ่งของพราหมณ์นั้น ยมะ—แม้ตั้งมั่นในธรรมหน้าที่ของตน—ก็พลันถูกความโศกครอบงำ

Word by Word

• tam: that (him/it)
• tam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकाल (having heard)

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• viprasya: of the brāhmaṇa
• viprasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• yamaḥ: Yama
• yamaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• śāpam: curse
• śāpam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• sudāruṇam: very terrible
• sudāruṇam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + dāruṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘śāpam’)

• svadharme: in his own duty
• svadharme: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन (Singular); ‘स्वस्य धर्मः’ (one’s own duty)

• vartamānaḥ: acting/abiding
• vartamānaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vṛt (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकाले कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘स्थितः/आचरन्’

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषबोधक-अव्यय (but/indeed)

• tataḥ: thereupon/from that
• tataḥ: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अपादानार्थक/हेतुबोधक-अव्यय (from that/thereupon)

• duḥkha-anvitaḥ: filled with sorrow
• duḥkha-anvitaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक) + anvita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); ‘दुःखेन अन्वितः’ (endowed with sorrow)

• abhavat: became
• abhavat: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: लङ्-लकार (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; likely Sūta’s narration within the Māhātmya frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yama, regal yet shaken, hears the curse; his posture droops, eyes lowered; attendants and a darkened aura convey the ‘sudāruṇa’ weight of the śāpa, while a faint dharma-scale motif remains behind him.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Vipra (Brāhmaṇa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even when one stands in svadharma, the moral weight of events and the force of a brāhmaṇa’s words can shake the mind—prompting humility and seeking rightful resolution.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is part of the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative frame; the specific tīrtha is not named in this single śloka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it sets the narrative tension (curse and sorrow) rather than prescribing snāna, dāna, or japa.