Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 127

Devanagari script

प्रदास्यसि ततो भक्त्या हेमजामात्मनस्तनुम् । विधिना मंत्रयुक्तेन तव पापं प्रयास्यति । यद्यत्पूर्वकृतं कृत्स्नं प्रदाय ब्राह्मणाय भोः

Transliteration

pradāsyasi tato bhaktyā hemajāmātmanastanum | vidhinā maṃtrayuktena tava pāpaṃ prayāsyati | yadyatpūrvakṛtaṃ kṛtsnaṃ pradāya brāhmaṇāya bhoḥ

Translation

„Dann wirst du in Hingabe ein goldenes Abbild deines eigenen Leibes als Gabe darbringen. Nach Vorschrift vollzogen und mit Mantra verbunden, wird deine Sünde von dir weichen. Was immer du zuvor an Verfehlung getan hast, ganz und gar — indem du es einem Brāhmaṇa schenkst, o (Indra), —“

Word by Word

• pradāsyasi: you will give
• pradāsyasi: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-dā (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future/भविष्यत्), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Temporal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: then/thereafter)

• bhaktyā: with devotion
• bhaktyā: Karana (Manner/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (instrumental: with devotion)

• hemajām: golden (born of gold)
• hemajām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hema + jā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (हेमजा = born of gold / golden); विशेषणम् (qualifying tanum)

• ātmanaḥ: of yourself
• ātmanaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन (genitive: of yourself)

• tanum: body/form
• tanum: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tanu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (accusative)

• vidhinā: by proper procedure
• vidhinā: Karana (Manner/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (instrumental: by/according to rule)

• maṃtrayuktena: accompanied by mantras
• maṃtrayuktena: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mantra + yukta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (मन्त्रैः युक्तः); विशेषणम् (qualifying vidhinā)

• tava: your
• tava: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन (genitive: your)

• pāpam: sin
• pāpam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अत्र कर्तृवत् (subject of prayāsyati)

• prayāsyati: will depart/go away
• prayāsyati: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-yā (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future/भविष्यत्), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• yat: whatever
• yat: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; यत्-शब्दः (relative)

• yat: whatever
• yat: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति-प्रयोगः (yadyat = whatever whatsoever)

• pūrvakṛtam: previously done
• pūrvakṛtam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūrva + kṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (पूर्वं कृतम् = done earlier); विशेषणम् (qualifying kṛtsnam)

• kṛtsnam: entire/all
• kṛtsnam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛtsna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (the whole)

• pradāya: having given
• pradāya: Kriya (Gerundial action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-dā (धातु) + lyap (ल्यप्/क्त्वा-सम)
• Form: अव्ययकृदन्त (ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त-सम), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having given)

• brāhmaṇāya: to a Brahmin
• brāhmaṇāya: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन (dative: to a Brahmin)

• bhoḥ: O!
• bhoḥ: Sambodhana (Address marker/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhoḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बोधन-निपात (vocative particle)

Speaker

Brahmā (addressing Śakra/Indra)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gartā-tīrtha (contextual)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Indra (addressed as ‘bhoḥ’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra prepares a golden effigy/replica of his own body for donation, while priests recite mantras; the act symbolizes surrender of ego and karmic burden.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Śakra (Indra)
• Brāhmaṇa
• Hema (gold, golden effigy)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sin is not merely regretted; it is ritually resolved through devotion, mantra, and dharmic giving directed to worthy recipients.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This instruction occurs within the Gartā-tīrtha narrative stream of Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Donation of a golden effigy of one’s body, performed with proper rite and mantras, and offered to a brāhmaṇa.