Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

पश्य ब्राह्मणि पापेन मया दुष्कृतकारिणा । न बालस्य मुखं दृष्टं प्रस्थितस्य यमालये

Transliteration

paśya brāhmaṇi pāpena mayā duṣkṛtakāriṇā | na bālasya mukhaṃ dṛṣṭaṃ prasthitasya yamālaye

Translation

দেখো, হে ব্রাহ্মণী! পাপী ও দুষ্কর্মকারী আমার কারণে, যমালয়ে প্রস্থানকারী সেই বালকের মুখও আমি দেখতে পেলাম না।

Word by Word

• पश्य: see/behold
• पश्य: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ब्राह्मणि: O Brahmin woman
• ब्राह्मणि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मणी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• पापेन: by sin
• पापेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन

• मया: by me
• मया: Kartr̥/Agent (Doer/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन

• दुष्कृतकारिणा: by (one) who does evil deeds
• दुष्कृतकारिणा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुष्कृत + कारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: दुष्कृतं करोति इति (उपपद-तत्पुरुष); विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (मया इति), तृतीया, एकवचन

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

• बालस्य: of the child
• बालस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• मुखम्: face
• मुखम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन

• दृष्टम्: (was) seen
• दृष्टम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → दृष्ट (क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle) ‘seen’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि भाव

• प्रस्थितस्य: of (him) who had departed
• प्रस्थितस्य: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र-स्था (धातु) → प्रस्थित (क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-कृदन्त विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (Genitive/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; ‘of the departed’

• यमालये: in Yama's abode
• यमालये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम + आलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: यमस्य आलयः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष); पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/अधिकरण), एकवचन

Speaker

Mṛkaṇḍa

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The father addresses the brāhmaṇī, confessing his sin and lamenting that he could not even see the boy’s face before the boy went to Yama’s abode.

Characters & Entities

• Mṛkaṇḍa
• brāhmaṇī (wife)
• Yama
• yamālaya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Remorse and moral self-examination are presented as immediate responses to loss, turning the mind toward dharmic remedy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named in this verse; it remains within the Agnitīrtha episode’s narrative arc.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse expresses guilt and fear of death’s realm.