Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

एतत्पापसहस्राणां मूलं प्राहुर्मनीषिणः । तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन कार्या भूतदया नृभिः

Transliteration

etatpāpasahasrāṇāṃ mūlaṃ prāhurmanīṣiṇaḥ | tasmātsarvaprayatnena kāryā bhūtadayā nṛbhiḥ

Translation

Die Weisen erklären dies zur Wurzel von Tausenden von Sünden. Darum sollen die Menschen mit aller Anstrengung Mitgefühl gegenüber allen Lebewesen üben.

Word by Word

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (मूलम् इति विशेष्ये) Nominative singular used adjectivally

• पापसहस्राणाम्: of thousands of sins
• पापसहस्राणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (पापानां सहस्राणि); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Genitive plural

• मूलम्: root, cause
• मूलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• प्राहुः: they declare
• प्राहुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + अह् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; ‘they have said/declare’

• मनीषिणः: the wise
• मनीषिणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनीषिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Nominative plural

• तस्मात्: therefore, from that
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात् इति अव्ययीभाववत् निपात-प्रयोगः; अपादानार्थक (ablatival adverb)

• सर्वप्रयत्नेन: with all effort
• सर्वप्रयत्नेन: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (सर्वः प्रयत्नः); पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; Instrumental singular

• कार्या: should be done
• कार्या: Vidhi (Injunctive predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + य (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (यत्/य), कर्मणि; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘to be done/should be practiced’

• भूतदया: compassion toward beings
• भूतदया: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत (प्रातिपदिक) + दया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (भूतेषु दया); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• नृभिः: by men, by people
• नृभिः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Instrumental plural (कर्तृ-करणभावे: ‘by men’)

Speaker

Brahmā (inferred from chapter colophon context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nārada

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-teacher points to suffering creatures near a sacred precinct, instructing that cruelty is the root of countless sins and that compassion is the true vrata.

Characters & Entities

• Manīṣiṇaḥ (the wise)
• Bhūta-dayā (compassion to beings)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Most sins trace back to cruelty or harm; compassion is the foundational corrective virtue.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya context in Nāgara-khaṇḍa, where tīrtha-dharma is taught through Cāturmāsya rules.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Make bhūta-dayā (compassion to all beings) a deliberate, sustained practice—treated as a primary vrata discipline.