Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

मा नाथ कुरु पद्मानां विक्रयं धनलोभतः । कुरुष्व च हितं वाक्यं यत्ते वक्ष्यामि सांप्रतम्

Transliteration

mā nātha kuru padmānāṃ vikrayaṃ dhanalobhataḥ | kuruṣva ca hitaṃ vākyaṃ yatte vakṣyāmi sāṃpratam

Translation

اے ناتھ! دولت کے لالچ میں کنولوں کو مت بیچو۔ جو واقعی بھلائی کا کام ہے وہی کرو—اب جو میں تم سے کہنے والی ہوں، اسے سنو۔

Word by Word

• mā: do not
• mā: Sambandha (Prohibition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: mā (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (prohibitive particle, used with imperative)

• nātha: O lord (husband)
• nātha: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nātha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• kuru: do
• kuru: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/Imperative); मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• padmānām: of lotuses
• padmānām: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: padma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• vikrayam: sale
• vikrayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vi-kraya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन

• dhana-lobhataḥ: out of greed for money
• dhana-lobhataḥ: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhana (प्रातिपदिक) + lobha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग; पञ्चमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (धनस्य लोभः)

• kuruṣva: do (for yourself), perform
• kuruṣva: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ); मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (कुरुष्व)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• hitam: beneficial
• hitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• vākyam: speech, words
• vākyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vākya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन

• yat: which
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• te: to you
• te: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; चतुर्थी (4th/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन

• vakṣyāmi: I will tell
• vakṣyāmi: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्); उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• sāṃpratam: now
• sāṃpratam: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sāṃpratam (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time: now/at present)

Speaker

The wife (dayitā) advising her husband

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A basket of fresh lotuses between the couple; the wife gestures gently to stop the sale, pointing instead toward a temple path or riverbank, indicating a better course.

Characters & Entities

• Padma (lotus)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worship should not be compromised by greed; dharmic benefit (hita) is higher than immediate profit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The wider chapter’s devotion is directed to Mahākāla in a tīrtha-māhātmya setting; this verse focuses on ethical conduct rather than naming the site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implied prescription: preserve the sacred lotuses for pūjā instead of selling them for wealth.