Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

सुरां पीत्वा द्विजं हत्वा द्विजानां निष्कृतिः स्मृता । धेनुविक्रयकर्तॄणां प्रायश्चित्तं न विद्यते

Transliteration

surāṃ pītvā dvijaṃ hatvā dvijānāṃ niṣkṛtiḥ smṛtā | dhenuvikrayakartṝṇāṃ prāyaścittaṃ na vidyate

Translation

For brāhmaṇas, expiation is taught even for drinking liquor and for killing a brāhmaṇa; but for those who engage in selling cows, no atonement is found.

Word by Word

• सुराम्: liquor
• सुराम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• पीत्वा: having drunk
• पीत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्यय (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया (having drunk)

• द्विजम्: a brahmin
• द्विजम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• हत्वा: having killed
• हत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्यय (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया (having killed)

• द्विजानाम्: for/of brahmins
• द्विजानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• निष्कृतिः: expiation
• निष्कृतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निष्कृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• स्मृता: is prescribed/considered
• स्मृता: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; √स्मृ (धातु) क्त-प्रत्यय (PPP), कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘is stated/considered’

• धेनुविक्रयकर्तॄणाम्: of those who sell cows
• धेनुविक्रयकर्तॄणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धेनु + विक्रय + कर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; कर्तृ = √कृ (धातु) तृच्-प्रत्यय (agent noun)

• प्रायश्चित्तम्: atonement
• प्रायश्चित्तम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रायश्चित्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• विद्यते: exists/is found
• विद्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Jamadagni (continued)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (and the māhātmya audience)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic, almost judicial scene: Jamadagni pronounces a grave rule; behind him symbolic panels show surā-pāna and brahma-hatyā with ‘expiation possible’, while cow-sale is marked with a stark ‘no atonement’ signifier—conveying hierarchy.

Characters & Entities

• dvija
• dhenu (cow)
• prāyaścitta
• surā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Undermining the sacred support of dharma and yajña (the cow) is portrayed as a uniquely destructive transgression.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as a dharmic warning within the tīrtha-narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It discusses prāyaścitta in principle, emphasizing that cow-selling is treated as beyond ordinary expiation in this teaching.