Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

लोभमोहपरो योऽसौ पापपिंडं महामुने । प्रददाति विधिं ब्रूहि येन यच्छाम्यहं द्रुतम्

Transliteration

lobhamohaparo yo'sau pāpapiṃḍaṃ mahāmune | pradadāti vidhiṃ brūhi yena yacchāmyahaṃ drutam

Translation

يا أيها الحكيم العظيم، بيّن لي الإجراء الصحيح الذي به يستطيع ذلك الشخص—المغلوب بالطمع والوهم—أن يقدّم «البِنْدَة المتجسِّدة للذنب»؛ وبهذه الطريقة أريد أن أُنجزه سريعًا.

Word by Word

• lobhamohaparaḥ: devoted to greed and delusion
• lobhamohaparaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: lobha-moha-para (प्रातिपदिक; लोभ + मोह + पर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine; Nominative; Singular); ‘यः’ इति विशेषण (adjective of yaḥ)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine; Nominative; Singular); सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• asau: that (man)
• asau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine; Nominative; Singular); संकेतार्थक (demonstrative “that/he”)

• pāpapiṃḍam: a sin-offering lump (piṇḍa)
• pāpapiṃḍam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa-piṃḍa (प्रातिपदिक; पाप + पिण्ड)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine; Accusative; Singular)

• mahāmune: O great sage
• mahāmune: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-muni (प्रातिपदिक; महा + मुनि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine; Vocative; Singular)

• pradadāti: gives/offers
• pradadāti: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-dā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Present; 3rd person; Singular; Parasmaipada)

• vidhim: the procedure/rite
• vidhim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine; Accusative; Singular)

• brūhi: tell (me)
• brūhi: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/Imperative); मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Imperative; 2nd person; Singular; Parasmaipada)

• yena: by which
• yena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (Neuter; Instrumental; Singular)

• yacchāmi: I may attain/obtain
• yacchāmi: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yam (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान); उत्तमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Present; 1st person; Singular; Parasmaipada)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन (Nominative; Singular)

• drutam: quickly
• drutam: Kala (Manner/Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: druta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोगः; द्वितीया-एकवचनरूपेण (adverbial use of accusative)

Speaker

Unspecified (a questioner addressing Bhartṛyajña/mahāmuni in dialogue)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A troubled householder confesses that greed and delusion dominate him and asks a great sage for the exact method to offer a symbolic 'sin-piṇḍa' as expiation.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even one afflicted by greed and delusion can seek purification by approaching a sage and following a prescribed rite with sincerity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within the Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya; the specific tīrtha is not named in this single śloka excerpt.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A request is made for the correct procedure (vidhi) to offer a ‘pāpapiṇḍa’ (a piṇḍa offering connected with expiation).