Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

यानि जानंति भूपृष्ठे मम पार्श्वे स्थितान्यपि । अपराधं सदा लोके परदारादि यत्कृतम्

Transliteration

yāni jānaṃti bhūpṛṣṭhe mama pārśve sthitānyapi | aparādhaṃ sadā loke paradārādi yatkṛtam

Translation

Selbst jene, die auf Erden an meiner Seite stehen, kennen die Vergehen, die in der Welt fortwährend begangen werden — wie das Begehren der Gattin eines anderen und dergleichen.

Word by Word

• यानि: which (things)
• यानि: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), बहुवचनम्; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• जानन्ति: know
• जानन्ति: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd), बहुवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• भूपृष्ठे: on the earth's surface
• भूपृष्ठे: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूपृष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक: भू + पृष्ठ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (7th/Locative), एकवचनम्

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (6th/Genitive), एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• पार्श्वे: at (my) side
• पार्श्वे: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पार्श्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (7th/Locative), एकवचनम्

• स्थितानि: standing/placed
• स्थितानि: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम् (यानि इति)

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha/Emphasis
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; निपातः (particle)

• अपराधम्: offence/sin
• अपराधम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपराध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (2nd/Accusative), एकवचनम्

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; कालवाचक-क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb of time)

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikaraṇa (Location/Domain)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (7th/Locative), एकवचनम्

• परदारादि: (acts) beginning with another's wife etc.
• परदारादि: Karma (Object-specifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परदारादि (प्रातिपदिक: परदार + आदि)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Nom./Acc.), एकवचनम्; समाहारार्थे (collective)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relativizer)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Nom./Acc.), एकवचनम्; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative)

• कृतम्: done/committed
• कृतम्: Karma/Predicate qualifier
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Nom./Acc.), एकवचनम्; (यत् इति) विशेषणम्

Speaker

Pṛthivīpati (the king) addressing Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vigilant guardian/minister stands beside the ruler, pointing to scenes of worldly misconduct in the city—secret liaisons, broken households—while a subtle divine witness motif (all-seeing eye/Devī’s aura) hovers above.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Pṛthivīpati (King)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A ruler must be vigilant about pervasive social sins—especially violations of marital dharma—and seek dharmic means to restrain wrongdoing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse sits within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya framework, but the specific tīrtha is not named in the shloka itself.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is given here; the verse sets up the need for corrective restraint and protective measures.