Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 119

Devanagari script

कन्याविक्रयकर्तृणां यत्पापं पापसंगिनाम् । तन्मे स्याद्यदि नो हन्मि सर्पं दृष्टिवशं गतम्

Transliteration

kanyāvikrayakartṛṇāṃ yatpāpaṃ pāpasaṃginām | tanme syādyadi no hanmi sarpaṃ dṛṣṭivaśaṃ gatam

Translation

Die Sünde derer, die ein Mädchen verkaufen, und derer, die mit der Sünde Umgang pflegen—sie falle auf mich, wenn ich die Schlange nicht töte, die unter die Macht meines Blickes geraten ist.

Word by Word

• कन्या-विक्रय-कर्तॄणाम्: of the sellers of a maiden (those who sell a girl)
• कन्या-विक्रय-कर्तॄणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कन्या (प्रातिपदिक) + विक्रय (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; समासः—कन्यायाः विक्रयस्य कर्तारः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• पाप-संगिनाम्: of those associated with sin
• पाप-संगिनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + संगिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; समासः—पापेन संगिनः (तृतीया/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थ)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; अन्वयः—तत् (यत्-पापम्)

• मे: to me / of me
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; एन्क्लिटिक रूप

• स्यात्: would be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Logical connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (conditional particle)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• हन्मि: I kill
• हन्मि: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सर्पम्: a snake
• सर्पम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• दृष्टि-वशम्: under (my) gaze’s control
• दृष्टि-वशम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृष्टि (प्रातिपदिक) + वश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—दृष्टेः वशः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• गतम्: gone, having come (into that state)
• गतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सर्पम् इति विशेषणम्

Speaker

Unspecified narrator within Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrtha-māhātmya (deductively: Sūta relating a tale/dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vow is uttered with fierce resolve: the speaker fixes his gaze on a serpent ‘under the control of sight,’ raising the moral stakes by invoking the sins of maiden-selling and sin-association as a conditional self-imprecation.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It condemns exploitative social conduct and warns that association with wrongdoing amplifies moral downfall.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified in this standalone verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it functions as part of a narrative vow.