Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 2

Devanagari script

सांप्रतं वद कामस्य यथा कुष्ठोऽभवत्पुरा । येन दोषेण शापश्च केन तस्य नियोजितः

Transliteration

sāṃprataṃ vada kāmasya yathā kuṣṭho'bhavatpurā | yena doṣeṇa śāpaśca kena tasya niyojitaḥ

Translation

اب ہمیں بتائیے کہ قدیم زمانے میں کام دیو کو کوڑھ کیسے لاحق ہوا—کس قصور کے سبب، اور وہ لعنت اس پر کس نے مقرر کی؟

Word by Word

• साम्प्रतम्: now, at present
• साम्प्रतम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: साम्प्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb): ‘इदानीम्/अधुना’

• वद: speak, tell
• वद: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन (singular), परस्मैपद

• कामस्य: of Kāma (the god of desire)
• कामस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन

• यथा: how, in what way
• यथा: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/उपमान/प्रकारवाचक): ‘येन प्रकारेण/as’

• कुष्ठः: leprosy (disease)
• कुष्ठः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन

• अभवत्: became, arose
• अभवत्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतनभूत/imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• पुरा: formerly, earlier
• पुरा: Kālādhi karaṇa (Temporal adverbial/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक/adverb of time): ‘पूर्वम्/formerly’

• येन: by which, due to which
• येन: Karaṇa/Hetu (Instrument/Cause/करण-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• दोषेण: by (some) fault, due to a defect
• दोषेण: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), एकवचन

• शापः: curse
• शापः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक conjunction)

• केन: by whom? by what?
• केन: Karaṇa/Karta (Agent/Instrument query/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• तस्य: of him/its
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• नियोजितः: was imposed/appointed/assigned
• नियोजितः: Kriyā (Predicate as participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि+युज् (धातु) (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘नियुक्तः/appointed’

Speaker

Ṛṣis (Sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/śaunakādayaḥ (assembly of sages; implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A circle of sages requests Sūta to narrate the origin of Kāma’s leprosy—an anticipatory moment before the curse-story unfolds.

Characters & Entities

• Kāma (Manmatha)
• kuṣṭha (leprosy)
• śāpa (curse)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma frames suffering as having moral and causal roots (doṣa/śāpa), inviting reflection, restraint, and remedial sacred practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse introduces a legend that typically culminates in the glorification of a specific kṣetra/tīrtha where affliction is relieved; the immediate site is within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya stream.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None here; it is an inquiry preparing for the narrative of cause and remedy.