Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

प्रायश्चित्तं ततश्चक्रे तांबूलस्य च भक्षणम् । अज्ञानेन कृतं यच्च चूर्णपत्रसमन्वितम्

Transliteration

prāyaścittaṃ tataścakre tāṃbūlasya ca bhakṣaṇam | ajñānena kṛtaṃ yacca cūrṇapatrasamanvitam

Translation

Daraufhin vollzog er prāyaścitta, die Sühne, für das Kauen von tāmbūla (Betel), das er unwissentlich zusammen mit Pulverzutaten und dem Blatt zu sich genommen hatte.

Word by Word

• prāyaścittam: expiation
• prāyaścittam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāyaścitta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Sequencing/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रमवाचक (then/thereafter)

• cakre: he performed/did
• cakre: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• tāṃbūlasya: of betel
• tāṃbūlasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tāṃbūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction: and)

• bhakṣaṇam: eating/consumption
• bhakṣaṇam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; prāyaścittam इत्यस्य विशेषण/अपेक्षितकर्म (act of eating)

• ajñānena: through ignorance
• ajñānena: Karana (Instrument/Cause/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ajñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• kṛtam: done
• kṛtam: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √kṛ (धातु) → kṛta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; यत्-सम्बन्धेन (that which was done)

• yat: which
• yat: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (and)

• cūrṇa-patra-samanvitam: accompanied with powder and leaf
• cūrṇa-patra-samanvitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: cūrṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + patra (प्रातिपदिक) + samanvita (सम् + √i/√vṛ? → samanvita, कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (तृतीया/सह: cūrṇena patreṇa ca samanvitam / or समाहार-सम्बन्ध), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; kṛtam/yat इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

Speaker

Viśvāmitra (contextual narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śaṃkhatīrtha

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārthivaśreṣṭha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The healed king, now radiant, sits with a priest performing a simple expiatory rite; a small fire or offering setup is present; betel leaves and powdered ingredients are shown as the object of the lapse; the mood is calm and penitent.

Characters & Entities

• tāmbūla (nāgavallī/betel)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even unintended faults (done in ignorance) should be purified through prāyaścitta to restore dharmic balance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The larger passage belongs to the Śaṃkhatīrtha-māhātmya, though this verse focuses on expiation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Prāyaścitta (atonement) is prescribed for improper/ignorant consumption of tāmbūla prepared with leaf and powders.