Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

तव दुष्कर्मणो योऽसावनुमंता कनिष्ठकः । सुकर्ण इति विख्यातो भविता सोपि मानुषः

Transliteration

tava duṣkarmaṇo yo'sāvanumaṃtā kaniṣṭhakaḥ | sukarṇa iti vikhyāto bhavitā sopi mānuṣaḥ

Translation

وأمّا رفيقك الأصغر الذي أقرّ بفعلك الآثم، المعروف باسم سوكارنا (Sukarṇa)، فسيصير هو أيضًا إنسانًا.

Word by Word

• तव: of you; your
• तव: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन — Genitive (6th), Singular

• दुष्कर्मणः: of (the) evil deed
• दुष्कर्मणः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुष् + कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन — Neuter, Genitive Singular

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative Singular; relative pronoun

• असौ: that one; he
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative Singular; demonstrative ‘that/he’

• अनुमन्ता: the approver; one who consented
• अनुमन्ता: Karta (Subject apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनु√मन् (धातु)
• Form: तृच्-प्रत्ययान्त (कर्तृवाचक), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Agent noun, Masculine, Nominative Singular; ‘approver/consenter’

• कनिष्ठकः: the younger one
• कनिष्ठकः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कनिष्ठक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative Singular

• सुकर्णः: Sukarṇa
• सुकर्णः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सु + कर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative Singular; proper name

• इति: thus; named as
• इति: Sambandha (Quotative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/नामनिर्देश-अव्यय — quotative particle ‘thus’

• विख्यातः: well-known
• विख्यातः: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि√ख्या (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (भूतकर्मणि/भूतकालिक), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Past participle, Masculine, Nominative Singular

• भविता: he will be
• भविता: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्काल), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Simple Future, 3rd person, Singular

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative Singular

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात — particle ‘also’

• मानुषः: a human
• मानुषः: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative Singular

Speaker

Gālava (continuing the curse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setukṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two companions before a judging sage/authority: the principal offender is condemned more severely, while the younger accomplice Sukarṇa is named and assigned a lesser but real consequence—human birth.

Characters & Entities

• Gālava
• Sukarṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even approving or enabling wrongdoing carries karmic weight; dharma judges not only the doer but also the supporter.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu-kṣetra is the narrative setting; the verse emphasizes ethical accountability rather than describing a specific tirtha-act.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse extends the curse to an accomplice, teaching moral responsibility.