Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

श्वबिडालवधाद्घोरं सर्पशूद्रोद्भवं तथा । भूमिहर्तुश्च यत्पापं भूमिहारिणि चैव हि

Transliteration

śvabiḍālavadhādghoraṃ sarpaśūdrodbhavaṃ tathā | bhūmihartuśca yatpāpaṃ bhūmihāriṇi caiva hi

Translation

Le terrible péché de tuer chiens et chats ; de même le péché lié au tort fait aux serpents et aux śūdras ; et le péché de celui qui s’empare des terres, et aussi de celui qui les vole et les emporte—(tout cela est compris).

Word by Word

• श्व-बिडाल-वधात्: from killing dogs and cats
• श्व-बिडाल-वधात्: Apadana (Ablative source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वन् (प्रातिपदिक) + बिडाल (प्रातिपदिक) + वध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन; द्वन्द्वसमासः (श्वबिडालयोः) + पञ्चमी — ‘from killing dogs and cats’

• घोरम्: terrible
• घोरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण — ‘terrible’

• सर्प-शूद्र-उद्भवम्: arising from (harm to) a serpent and a śūdra
• सर्प-शूद्र-उद्भवम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्प (प्रातिपदिक) + शूद्र (प्रातिपदिक) + उद्भव (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त; √भू)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; द्वन्द्व-तत्पुरुषभावः — ‘arising from (killing) serpent and śūdra’ (contextual ellipsis of ‘वध’)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/समुच्चयार्थक (adverb: ‘likewise/also’)

• भूमि-हर्तुः: of the land-stealer
• भूमि-हर्तुः: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि (प्रातिपदिक) + हर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक; √हृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः — ‘of the land-stealer’

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक — ‘which’

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma/Artha (Object/Topic; कर्म/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• भूमि-हारिणि: in the case of a land-stealer
• भूमि-हारिणि: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूमि (प्रातिपदिक) + हारिन् (प्रातिपदिक; √हृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः — ‘in/with the land-stealer’ (locative of reference)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Nishchaya (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (particle of emphasis)

• हि: for/indeed
• हि: Hetu (Reason marker/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतौ/निश्चये-अव्यय (particle: for/indeed)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (contextual, continuing discourse to Yudhiṣṭhira)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrthas (general)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A compassionate riverbank scene: pilgrims feed stray dogs and cats; a nāga is honored at a small shrine; a śūdra laborer is treated with respect; a boundary stone is restored as stolen land is returned—dark karmic smoke dissipates over the river.

Characters & Entities

• Śūdra
• Sarpa (serpent)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Harming beings and violating rightful property—especially land—creates heavy karmic burden in Purāṇic dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as a catalogue of pāpa within the Revā Khaṇḍa’s expiation narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Not explicitly here; the surrounding verses emphasize dāna as a means to dissolve accumulated pāpa.