Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

न्यासापहारकाः पापास्तत्र बद्धाश्च बंधनैः । कृमिवृश्चिक कीटाद्यैर्भक्ष्यते द्विजसत्तम

Transliteration

nyāsāpahārakāḥ pāpāstatra baddhāśca baṃdhanaiḥ | kṛmivṛścika kīṭādyairbhakṣyate dvijasattama

Translation

O best of the twice-born, those sinners who steal what has been entrusted are bound there in fetters, and are devoured by worms, scorpions, and other stinging insects.

Word by Word

• nyāsa-apahārakāḥ: deposit/pledge-stealers
• nyāsa-apahārakāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nyāsa (प्रातिपदिक) + apahāraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (nyāsasya apahārakāḥ)

• pāpāḥ: sinful
• pāpāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• baddhāḥ: bound
• baddhāḥ: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/कर्मसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bandh (धातु) → baddha (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक-निपात

• bandhanaiḥ: by bonds
• bandhanaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bandhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• kṛmi-vṛścika-kīṭa-ādyaiḥ: by worms, scorpions, insects, etc.
• kṛmi-vṛścika-kīṭa-ādyaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛmi (प्रातिपदिक) + vṛścika (प्रातिपदिक) + kīṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; द्वन्द्व-समास (समाहार/इतरेतर) + ādi-प्रत्ययार्थ (etc.)

• bhakṣyate: is eaten / is devoured
• bhakṣyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhakṣ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• dvija-sattama: O best of the twice-born
• dvija-sattama: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (dvijānāṃ sattamaḥ)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Skanda Purāṇa narrative style in Māhātmya sections)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-sattama (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In Niyaṃtraka, deposit-thieves are chained; worms and scorpions swarm and bite, while Yama’s attendants point accusingly, underscoring betrayal of trust.

Characters & Entities

• dvija (addressed listener)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Breach of trust—stealing an entrusted deposit—is treated as a grave adharma that yields severe karmic consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse functions as moral instruction within the Tīrthamāhātmya; the snippet itself does not name a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific vrata, dāna, snāna, or japa is prescribed in this verse; it primarily states karmic retribution.