Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

यावन्मात्रं कृतं पापमतीतं नृपसत्तम । तावन्मात्रं क्षयं याति तुलापुरुषदानतः

Transliteration

yāvanmātraṃ kṛtaṃ pāpamatītaṃ nṛpasattama | tāvanmātraṃ kṣayaṃ yāti tulāpuruṣadānataḥ

Translation

O best of kings, whatever measure of sin has been committed in the past—by the Tulāpuruṣa donation, to that very measure it is brought to destruction.

Word by Word

• यावत्-मात्रम्: whatever amount
• यावत्-मात्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यावत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; परिमाणवाचक (as much as)

• कृतम्: done/committed
• कृतम्: Karta (Predicate complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अतीतम्: past; previously accrued
• अतीतम्: Karta (Predicate complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति-इ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (past/previous)

• नृप-सत्तम: O best of kings
• नृप-सत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (vocative), एकवचन; संबोधनम्

• तावत्-मात्रम्: that same amount
• तावत्-मात्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तावत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; परिमाणवाचक (just that much)

• क्षयम्: destruction; diminution
• क्षयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• याति: goes to; reaches
• याति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तुला-पुरुष-दानतः: due to the tulāpuruṣa donation
• तुला-पुरुष-दानतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तुला + पुरुष + दान (प्रातिपदिक) + तसिल् (अव्ययीभावार्थ)
• Form: समासान्त-तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb): 'from/by the tulāpuruṣa-gift'

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced; verse itself addresses a king, likely reported speech)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tulāpuruṣa-dāna (as tīrtha-linked mahā-dāna)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpasattama (best of kings)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king sponsors Tulāpuruṣa-dāna: the donor is seated on one pan of a balance while gold/grain is placed on the other, priests chanting as the scale reaches equilibrium.

Characters & Entities

• Tulāpuruṣa-dāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Proportionate purification is promised: accumulated sin is said to be exhausted through a major, rule-based act of charity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it continues the benefits section within a tīrtha-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tulāpuruṣa dāna is explicitly stated as the means for the destruction of past sin.