Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

अपुत्रोऽद्य कृतो यस्मादहं तेन दुरात्मना । अतः सोऽपि च दुष्टात्मा यमोऽपुत्रो भविष्यति

Transliteration

aputro'dya kṛto yasmādahaṃ tena durātmanā | ataḥ so'pi ca duṣṭātmā yamo'putro bhaviṣyati

Translation

“เพราะคนชั่วผู้นั้นทำให้ข้ากลายเป็นผู้ไร้บุตรในวันนี้ ฉะนั้นยมะผู้มีจิตชั่วก็จักไร้บุตรเช่นกัน”

Word by Word

• अपुत्रः: sonless
• अपुत्रः: Karma (Object complement/कर्मपूरक)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ (नञ्) + पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; नञ्-तत्पुरुषार्थ (sonless)

• अद्य: today/now
• अद्य: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (today/now)

• कृतः: made
• कृतः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘अहं’ इत्यस्य कर्मपूरक-भावे (made)

• यस्मात्: because
• यस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; हेतु-अर्थे (because/since)

• अहम्: me
• अहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• तेन: by him
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन

• दुरात्मना: by the wicked one
• दुरात्मना: Karana (Instrument/Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुरात्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि-प्रकृतिः (wicked-souled person)

• अतः: therefore
• अतः: Sambandha (Logical connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेतुफल-सम्बन्ध (therefore)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपेक्षा (also/even)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

• दुष्टात्मा: wicked-souled
• दुष्टात्मा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुष्ट (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (wicked-souled)

• यमः: Yama
• यमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• अपुत्रः: sonless
• अपुत्रः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ (नञ्) + पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘यमः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• भविष्यति: will become
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Sūta (quoting the brāhmaṇa’s curse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The brāhmaṇa pronounces the curse with fierce gaze; Dharmarāja remains stern yet affected; the child’s absence/presence underscores the theme of putra-loss and the curse of childlessness.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Dharmarāja
• brāhmaṇa Upādhyāya (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It illustrates how grief can harden into retaliatory speech (śāpa), a theme used in Purāṇas to explain later religious consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Indirectly, Dharmarājeśvara-tīrtha—this curse forms part of the etiological story behind the site’s māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; this verse contains the content of the curse.