Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

कुर्वंस्तत्पापभागी स्यात्तस्य दंडो यथाविधि । न्यायं न पश्यते यस्तु शक्तौ सत्यां सदा यतः

Transliteration

kurvaṃstatpāpabhāgī syāttasya daṃḍo yathāvidhi | nyāyaṃ na paśyate yastu śaktau satyāṃ sadā yataḥ

Translation

Wer solches Unrecht unterstützt, wird Teilhaber jener Sünde; auch für ihn gibt es Strafe nach Vorschrift. Und wer die Gerechtigkeit nicht wahrt, obwohl er die Macht dazu hat, ist stets tadelnswert.

Word by Word

• kurvan: doing (one who does)
• kurvan: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + śatṛ (शतृ)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्तरि

• tat-pāpa-bhāgī: a sharer in that sin
• tat-pāpa-bhāgī: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम) + pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāgin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुषः) ‘तत्-पाप-भागी’ = तस्य पापस्य भागी; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• syāt: would be, should be
• syāt: Kriya (Copula/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• daṃḍaḥ: punishment
• daṃḍaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daṃḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• yathāvidhi: according to rule
• yathāvidhi: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + vidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; अव्ययरूपेण क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial)

• nyāyam: justice, right conduct
• nyāyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nyāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• paśyate: sees, considers
• paśyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: paśy (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• tu: but, indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-निपात

• śaktau: in (one's) ability/power
• śaktau: Adhikaraṇa (Condition locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• satyām: being present, existing
• satyām: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: satya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘śaktau’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kāla (Temporal/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• yataḥ: because, since
• yataḥ: Hetu (Cause/Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतुवाचक-अव्यय (causal relative adverb: because/whence)

Speaker

Narratorial voice (contextual dharma-instruction; explicit speaker not stated in this verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A powerful leader witnesses wrongdoing; two paths shown: intervening with daṇḍa vs. turning away. The verse’s moral is depicted as a shadow of sin falling on the enabler.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Complicity is itself adharma; failing to uphold justice when empowered attracts sin and rightful punishment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the focus is on nyāya (justice) as dharma within the Dharmāraṇya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It prescribes daṇḍa (penalty) according to rule for those who participate in or enable wrongdoing.