Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

तस्मात्कर्मकृतं सर्वं देहिनामत्र जायते । शुभं वा यदि वा पापमिति मे निश्चयः सदा

Transliteration

tasmātkarmakṛtaṃ sarvaṃ dehināmatra jāyate | śubhaṃ vā yadi vā pāpamiti me niścayaḥ sadā

Translation

Therefore, everything that arises for embodied beings here is produced by karma—whether it be auspicious or sinful; this is my constant certainty.

Word by Word

• tasmāt: therefore/from that
• tasmāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन — ablative singular ‘from that/therefore’

• karma-kṛtam: done by karma
• karma-kṛtam: Karta (Subject-Qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √kṛ धातु)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कर्मणा कृतम् = done by karma); भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — adjectival

• sarvam: all (of it)
• sarvam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — ‘all’; agrees with (implicit) phalaṃ/‘everything’

• dehinām: of embodied beings
• dehinām: Sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dehin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन — genitive plural

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: ‘here’)

• jāyate: arises
• jāyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम् — ‘arises/is born’

• śubham: good (result)
• śubham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — nominative singular (as one alternative)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Alternative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (disjunctive particle: ‘or’)

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Condition/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक-अव्यय (conditional particle: ‘if’)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Alternative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (disjunctive particle: ‘or’)

• pāpam: evil (result)
• pāpam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — nominative singular (as the other alternative)

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/वाक्यसमाप्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• me: my
• me: Sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन — genitive singular ‘my’

• niścayaḥ: certainty/conviction
• niścayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niścaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन — nominative singular

• sadā: always
• sadā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb: ‘always’)

Speaker

Unspecified (deduced: Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa narrating within a Māhātmya discourse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage declares a firm conclusion; behind him, a balanced scale shows śubha and pāpa fruits; pilgrims listen at a ghat, suggesting that tīrtha is a classroom of dharma.

Characters & Entities

• Karma
• Pāpa
• Śubha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

All experiences and circumstances for embodied beings are traced to karma—good and bad alike—affirming moral causality.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to the Śrīhāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya (Nāgarakhaṇḍa, Tīrthamāhātmya).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it states a doctrinal conclusion about the origin of outcomes.