Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

सूत उवाच । एवं तेषु द्विजेंद्रेषु शापं दत्त्वा गतेषु च । दुर्वासाः प्राह दुःशीलं कोपसंरक्तलो चनः

Transliteration

sūta uvāca | evaṃ teṣu dvijeṃdreṣu śāpaṃ dattvā gateṣu ca | durvāsāḥ prāha duḥśīlaṃ kopasaṃraktalo canaḥ

Translation

苏多说道：当那些最尊胜的婆罗门如此降下诅咒而离去之后，杜尔瓦萨——双目因怒而赤红——便对杜赫希拉开口。

Word by Word

• सूतः: Sūta
• सूतः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम् (masculine nominative singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/Perfect); प्रथमपुरुषः एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम् (he said)

• एवम्: thus
• एवम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक (thus)

• तेषु: among them
• तेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्गे सप्तमी बहुवचनम् (locative plural: among them)

• द्विजेन्द्रेषु: among the foremost brāhmaṇas
• द्विजेन्द्रेषु: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे सप्तमी बहुवचनम् (locative plural); समासः—तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी): ‘द्विजानाम् इन्द्राः’ (among the best of brāhmaṇas)

• शापम्: a curse
• शापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम् (accusative singular)

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु) + क्त्वा (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund): having given

• गतेषु: when (they) had gone
• गतेषु: Sati-saptamī (Locative absolute/सति-सप्तमी)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त; पुंलिङ्गे सप्तमी बहुवचनम् (locative absolute: when they had gone)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (and)

• दुर्वासाः: Durvāsas
• दुर्वासाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर् (उपसर्ग/प्रातिपदिक) + वासस्/वास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम् (proper noun; masculine nominative singular)

• प्राह: said
• प्राह: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + अह्/ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/Perfect); प्रथमपुरुषः एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम् (he said)

• दुःशीलम्: to Duḥśīla
• दुःशीलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःशील (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया एकवचनम् (accusative singular)

• कोपसंरक्तलोचनः: whose eyes were reddened with anger
• कोपसंरक्तलोचनः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कोप (प्रातिपदिक) + संरक्त (रञ्ज् धातु-क्त, कृदन्त) + लोचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (masculine nominative singular adjective); समासः—तत्पुरुषः: ‘कोपेन संरक्ते लोचने यस्य’

Speaker

Sūta

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and Naimiṣāraṇya sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Durvāsā appears after the brāhmaṇas depart; his eyes blaze red with anger as he confronts Duḥśīla. The scene is charged: a lone ascetic radiating tejas, the offender shrinking or standing defiant.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Durvāsā
• Duḥśīla
• dvijendras (foremost brāhmaṇas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It underscores the Purāṇic theme that the words of realized brāhmaṇas carry spiritual potency, and that anger and curses function as moral-cosmic forces in the narrative.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is within a tīrthamāhātmya chapter but does not itself identify the tīrtha; it introduces the next speech in the sacred-place narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is narrative, marking the transition to Durvāsā’s address.