Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

दृष्टादृष्टं तु यत्किंचिन्न समं ब्रह्महत्यया । अन्यथा ब्रह्महत्यायाः शुद्धिर्मे न भविष्यति

Transliteration

dṛṣṭādṛṣṭaṃ tu yatkiṃcinna samaṃ brahmahatyayā | anyathā brahmahatyāyāḥ śuddhirme na bhaviṣyati

Translation

لا شيء البتّة—مما يُرى في هذا العالم أو يُذكر في الغيب—يُعادِل إثم قتلِ البرهمن. وإلا فلن أنال التطهّر من جريمةِ براهمهاتيا (قتل البرهمن).

Word by Word

• दृष्ट: seen
• दृष्ट: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (seen)

• अदृष्टम्: unseen
• अदृष्टम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अदृष्ट (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (unseen)

• तु: indeed; but
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विशेषार्थक/विरोधार्थक-अव्यय (particle)

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Karma/Topic (कर्म/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun: whatever)

• किंचित्: anything
• किंचित्: Karma/Topic (कर्म/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थक (anything)

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• समम्: equal
• समम्: Predicate adjective (विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेयविशेषण (equal)

• ब्रह्महत्यया: to Brahmin-slaying
• ब्रह्महत्यया: Upamana/Comparison standard (तुल्ययोगे तृतीया)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्महत्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—ब्रह्मणः हत्या (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• अन्यथा: otherwise
• अन्यथा: Adverbial (प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (otherwise)

• ब्रह्महत्यायाः: of Brahmin-slaying
• ब्रह्महत्यायाः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्महत्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—ब्रह्मणः हत्या (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• शुद्धिः: purification
• शुद्धिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (nominative sg.)

• मे: for me; my
• मे: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी विभक्ति, एकवचन (genitive/dative enclitic)

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• भविष्यति: will be
• भविष्यति: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (भविष्यत्/future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Citrasena (continuing)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha sphere (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contemplative, didactic moment: the king, head bowed, speaks of brahmahatyā’s unmatched weight; the brāhmaṇa’s radiance and the quiet forest underscore moral gravity.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmahatyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Brahmahatyā is portrayed as an exceptionally weighty transgression; purification requires a properly guided atonement, not denial or minimization.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in the verse; the doctrinal emphasis supports the Revā Khaṇḍa’s larger tīrtha-framework.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is stated here—only the insistence that purification must be achieved through some valid means.