Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 67

Devanagari script

सर्वपापाधिकं पापं बालहत्या द्विजोत्तम । बालहत्यायुतो विप्रः पच्यते नरके ध्रुवम्

Transliteration

sarvapāpādhikaṃ pāpaṃ bālahatyā dvijottama | bālahatyāyuto vipraḥ pacyate narake dhruvam

Translation

قتل الطفل إثمٌ يفوق جميع الآثام، يا أفضلَ ذوي الولادتين. والبراهمن الملوَّث بقتل الطفل يُطبَخ في الجحيم يقينًا.

Word by Word

• सर्वपापाधिकम्: greater than all sins
• सर्वपापाधिकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + पाप + अधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (सर्वेषां पापानाम् अधिकम्)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma/Predicate (Object/Predicative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• बालहत्या: killing of a child
• बालहत्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बालहत्या (प्रातिपदिक: बाल + हत्या)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (बालस्य हत्या)

• द्विजोत्तम: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विजोत्तम (प्रातिपदिक: द्विज + उत्तम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (द्विजानाम् उत्तमः)

• बालहत्यायुतः: associated with child-murder
• बालहत्यायुतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बालहत्या + युत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √यु (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (बालहत्यया युतः = endowed/associated with child-murder)

• विप्रः: a brahmin
• विप्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• पच्यते: is tormented / is cooked
• पच्यते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive: is cooked/tormented)

• नरके: in hell
• नरके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• ध्रुवम्: certainly
• ध्रुवम्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ध्रुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (indeclinable adverbial accusative)

Speaker

Unspecified narrator within Revā Khaṇḍa (ethical injunction addressed to a dvija)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra tīrthas (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stern dharma proclamation: the sage addresses ‘dvijottama’ and depicts the inevitability of naraka for bāla-hatyā, with imagery of hellfire ‘cooking’ as a moral deterrent.

Characters & Entities

• Naraka
• Vipra (brāhmaṇa)
• Dvija

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ahiṃsā is foundational; harming the helpless (especially children) is presented as an extreme adharma with severe karmic retribution.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse is part of Revā Khaṇḍa’s broader dharma instruction within the Narmadā sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse functions as a strict prohibition and moral warning.