Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

त्यजंति मातरः पुत्रान्कलत्राणि तथा नराः । भृत्यान्स्वानपि वित्तेशाः का कथान्यसमुद्भवान्

Transliteration

tyajaṃti mātaraḥ putrānkalatrāṇi tathā narāḥ | bhṛtyānsvānapi vitteśāḥ kā kathānyasamudbhavān

Translation

ماؤں نے اپنے بیٹوں کو چھوڑ دیا، اور مردوں نے اپنی بیویوں کو؛ حتیٰ کہ مالداروں نے بھی اپنے خادموں کو ترک کر دیا—پھر دوسروں کے گھر والوں کا کیا ذکر؟

Word by Word

• त्यजन्ति: abandon
• त्यजन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• मातरः: mothers
• मातरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मातृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• पुत्रान्: sons
• पुत्रान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• कलत्राणि: wives/spouses
• कलत्राणि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/प्रकारवाचक (adverb: ‘also/likewise’)

• नराः: men
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• भृत्यान्: servants
• भृत्यान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भृत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• स्वान्: their own
• स्वान्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-निपात (particle: ‘also/even’)

• वित्तेशाः: lords of wealth (the rich)
• वित्तेशाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वित्त + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• का: what (need to say)
• का: Sambandha (Discourse/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः; प्रश्नार्थक-निपात (interrogative particle: ‘what (need to say)?’)

• कथा: talk/mention
• कथा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• अन्यसमुद्भवान्: others who arose (besides these)
• अन्यसमुद्भवान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य + समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Sūta (continuing narration)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣayaḥ

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Heart-rending separations: a mother turning away from a child, a man leaving his wife, a master dismissing servants; empty streets and closed granaries in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Mātṛ
• Putra
• Kalatra
• Bhṛtya
• Vitteśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Extreme scarcity tests compassion and duty; the Purāṇic frame highlights how dharma collapses without spiritual and material sustenance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in the verse; it supports the adhyāya’s māhātmya by portraying the crisis that precedes the tīrtha’s saving role.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it is a narrative description emphasizing the consequences of adharma under distress.