Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

ये हि दृष्कटतकर्म्माणो न कुर्वंति च निष्कृतिम् । दुर्दशां प्रप्नुवन्त्येते यथैवेन्द्रः शतक्रतुः

Transliteration

ye hi dṛṣkaṭatakarmmāṇo na kurvaṃti ca niṣkṛtim | durdaśāṃ prapnuvantyete yathaivendraḥ śatakratuḥ

Translation

Wer schwere Verfehlungen begeht und dennoch keine Sühne (prāyaścitta) vollzieht, fällt ins Elend—so wie Indra, Śatakratu, der Vollzieher von hundert Opfern, es erfuhr.

Word by Word

• ye: who
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद्)
• Form: Relative Pronoun, Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• hi: indeed/for
• hi: null
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (हि)
• Form: Particle

• duṣkṛta-karmāṇaḥ: those of evil deeds
• duṣkṛta-karmāṇaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duṣkṛta-karman (दुष्कृत-कर्मन्)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural. (Note: Text has 'dṛṣkaṭata', corrected to 'duṣkṛta')

• na: not
• na: null
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (न)
• Form: Negative Particle

• kurvanti: do/perform
• kurvanti: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ)
• Form: Lat Lakara (Present), Parasmaipada, Prathama Purusha (3rd), Plural

• ca: and
• ca: null
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (च)
• Form: Conjunction

• niṣkṛtim: atonement/expiation
• niṣkṛtim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niṣkṛti (निष्कृति)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• durdaśām: bad state/misfortune
• durdaśām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: durdaśā (दुर्दशा)
• Form: Feminine, Accusative (2nd/द्वितीया), Singular

• prāpnuvanti: obtain/reach
• prāpnuvanti: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prāp (प्राप्)
• Form: Lat Lakara (Present), Parasmaipada, Prathama Purusha (3rd), Plural

• ete: these
• ete: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (एतद्)
• Form: Pronoun, Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Plural

• yathā: just as
• yathā: Kriya-Visheshana (Adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (यथा)
• Form: Adverb

• eva: indeed
• eva: null
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (एव)
• Form: Particle

• indraḥ: Indra
• indraḥ: Upamana (Standard of Comparison)
• Type: Noun
• Root: indra (इन्द्र)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• śatakratuḥ: performer of a hundred sacrifices
• śatakratuḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śatakratu (शतक्रतु)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages headed by Śaunaka

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sūta concludes with a universal maxim: wrongdoers who skip expiation fall into misery; Indra’s figure appears as an illustrative shadow behind the teaching.

Characters & Entities

• Indra
• Śatakratu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Wrongdoing must be met with sincere expiation; otherwise suffering intensifies and becomes prolonged.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kedāra’s broader Mahatmya frames the discourse, but the verse itself is a general dharma rule using Indra as an example.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Niṣkṛti/prāyaścitta is prescribed in principle, without specifying a particular rite in this verse.