Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 105

Devanagari script

कृतघ्नानां च यत्पापं परवित्तापहारिणाम् । तन्मे स्याद्यदि नो हन्मि सर्पं दृष्टिवशं गतम्

Transliteration

kṛtaghnānāṃ ca yatpāpaṃ paravittāpahāriṇām | tanme syādyadi no hanmi sarpaṃ dṛṣṭivaśaṃ gatam

Translation

فَلْيَقَعْ عَلَيَّ إِثْمُ الجَاحِدِينَ لِلنِّعْمَةِ، وَإِثْمُ سَارِقِي أَمْوَالِ الغَيْرِ—إِنْ لَمْ أَصْرَعِ الحَيَّةَ الَّتِي وَقَعَتْ تَحْتَ سُلْطَانِ نَظَرِي.

Word by Word

• कृतघ्नानाम्: of the ungrateful
• कृतघ्नानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृतघ्न (प्रातिपदिक; कृत + घ्न)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; ‘कृत’ (उपकार) + ‘घ्न’ (नाशक) = उपकारघ्न (ungrateful)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• यत्: whatever/that which
• यत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• परवित्तापहारिणाम्: of those who steal others’ wealth
• परवित्तापहारिणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर-वित्त-अपहारिन् (प्रातिपदिक; पर + वित्त + अपहारिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; ‘पर’ = अन्यस्य (of others) + ‘वित्त’ = धन (wealth) + ‘अपहारिन्’ = हरक (stealer)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• मे: to me / for me
• मे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी (6th/4th), एकवचन; enclitic

• स्यात्: would be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तबोधक-अव्यय

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• हन्मि: I kill
• हन्मि: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √हन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सर्पम्: the snake
• सर्पम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• दृष्टिवशम्: under (my) gaze’s control
• दृष्टिवशम्: Karma (Object-complement/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दृष्टि-वश (प्रातिपदिक; दृष्टि + वश)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• गतम्: gone/come (into that state)
• गतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त

Speaker

Unspecified (Nāgarakhaṇḍa, Tīrthamāhātmya narrative voice; likely a vow-like utterance within the tīrtha episode)

Characters & Entities

• sarpa (serpent)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It frames moral accountability sharply: failing one’s rightful protective duty is treated as gravely as classic sins like ingratitude and theft.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya (Adhyāya 29); the snippet itself does not name the tīrtha, but functions as part of the site’s exemplary narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual (snāna, dāna, japa) is stated here; the emphasis is on a vow-like ethical declaration tied to the episode.