Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 108

Devanagari script

यत्पापं भ्रूणहत्यायां मृष्टमांसाशिनां च यत् । तन्मे स्याद्यदि नो हन्मि सर्पं दृष्टिवशं गतम्

Transliteration

yatpāpaṃ bhrūṇahatyāyāṃ mṛṣṭamāṃsāśināṃ ca yat | tanme syādyadi no hanmi sarpaṃ dṛṣṭivaśaṃ gatam

Translation

إن لم أضرب الحيّة التي وقعت تحت سلطان نظري، فليحلّ عليّ إثم قتل الجنين وإثم آكلي اللحم المحرَّم أو النجس.

Word by Word

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

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

• भ्रूणहत्यायाम्: in (the sin of) embryo-killing
• भ्रूणहत्यायाम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भ्रूण-हत्या (प्रातिपदिक; भ्रूण + हत्या)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘भ्रूणस्य हत्या’ (killing of an embryo)

• मृष्टमांसाशिनाम्: of eaters of choice meat
• मृष्टमांसाशिनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृष्ट-मांस-आशिन् (प्रातिपदिक; मृष्ट + मांस + आशिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; ‘मृष्ट’ = परिष्कृत/स्वादु (choice) + ‘मांस’ = meat + ‘आशिन्’ = भक्षक (eater)

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

• यत्: whatever (sin)
• यत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

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

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

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

• 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, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन

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

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

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

Speaker

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

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tense moment: a serpent threatens near a family/pilgrim group; the protector intervenes. In the background, symbolic imagery (a withered bud for bhrūṇa-hatyā; a rejected meat platter) conveys the invoked grave sins.

Characters & Entities

• sarpa (serpent)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It underscores the gravity of life-destroying and purity-violating acts, using them as benchmarks to stress the seriousness of failing one’s immediate duty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This is part of Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya (Adhyāya 29); the specific tīrtha is not named in the provided excerpt.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual instruction is present in this verse.