Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

व्यास उवाच । एतत्पापस्य शांत्यर्थं प्रायश्चित्तं स्मृतौ न हि

Transliteration

vyāsa uvāca | etatpāpasya śāṃtyarthaṃ prāyaścittaṃ smṛtau na hi

Translation

Vyāsa dit : «Pour apaiser ce péché, aucun prāyaścitta, rite d’expiation, n’est en vérité prescrit dans la tradition de la Smṛti.»

Word by Word

• व्यासः: Vyāsa
• व्यासः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• पापस्य: of sin
• पापस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• शान्त्यर्थम्: for the sake of pacification
• शान्त्यर्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शान्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शान्तेः अर्थः)

• प्रायश्चित्तम्: expiation
• प्रायश्चित्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रायश्चित्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• स्मृतौ: in the Smṛti (tradition)
• स्मृतौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्मृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

Speaker

Vyāsa

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta and Naimiṣāraṇya sages (frame)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vyāsa, grave and composed, declares that Smṛti offers no standard prāyaścitta for the sin under discussion; sages listen in a forest hermitage setting.

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Smṛti
• Prāyaścitta
• Pāpa
• Śānti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Some transgressions are portrayed as so grave that ordinary Smṛti-based expiations are inadequate, pushing the seeker toward deeper purification through higher dharmic means.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader context is the Setukhaṇḍa (Setu Māhātmya), associated with the sacred Setu/Rāmeśvaram pilgrimage landscape, though this verse itself names no site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; it explicitly states that Smṛti does not provide a prāyaścitta for this case.