Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

वयं दौर्भाग्यदोषेण सर्वाः क्लेशं परं गताः । न शक्नुमः प्रियान्प्राणान्देहे धर्तुं कथंचन

Transliteration

vayaṃ daurbhāgyadoṣeṇa sarvāḥ kleśaṃ paraṃ gatāḥ | na śaknumaḥ priyānprāṇāndehe dhartuṃ kathaṃcana

Translation

ด้วยโทษแห่งเคราะห์ร้าย พวกเราทั้งหมดตกอยู่ในทุกข์แสนสาหัส และไม่อาจประคองลมหายใจอันเป็นที่รักไว้ในกายได้ไม่ว่าทางใด

Word by Word

• वयम्: we
• वयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

• दौर्भाग्यदोषेण: due to the fault of misfortune
• दौर्भाग्यदोषेण: Karana (Instrument/Cause/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daurbhāgya (प्रातिपदिक) + doṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (दौर्भाग्यस्य दोषः = fault of misfortune)

• सर्वाः: all
• सर्वाः: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying 'वयम्' as feminine group)

• क्लेशम्: affliction, suffering
• क्लेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kleśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• परम्: great, extreme
• परम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifying 'क्लेशम्')

• गताः: have gone to / have reached
• गताः: Kriya (State/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: gata (कृदन्त; √gam गम् धातु)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past participle) with copular sense

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• शक्नुमः: we are able
• शक्नुमः: Kriya (Ability/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śak (शक् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• प्रियान्: dear, beloved
• प्रियान्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: priya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying 'प्राणान्')

• प्राणान्: life-breaths, lives
• प्राणान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचन

• देहे: in the body
• देहे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• धर्तुम्: to hold, to sustain
• धर्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dhṛ (धृ धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive); प्रयोजनार्थ (for the purpose of holding)

• कथंचन: in any way at all
• कथंचन: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kathaṃcana (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (adverb: 'in any way/at all')

Speaker

Dakṣa’s daughters (the 27 wives of Soma)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The women confess unbearable misery caused by misfortune; their bodies appear weakened, as if life-breath itself cannot be sustained, while they cling to Devī as the only refuge.

Characters & Entities

• Dakṣakanyāḥ

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Acknowledging one’s helplessness becomes the doorway to śaraṇāgati (taking refuge), a key Purāṇic devotional ethic.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse functions within a tīrtha narrative framework but does not specify the geographic tīrtha name.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a lament and petition.