Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

सुप्तं मैथुनसंयुक्तं स्तनपानक्रियोद्यतम् । हत्वा मृगं जलासक्तं नरः पापेन लिप्यते

Transliteration

suptaṃ maithunasaṃyuktaṃ stanapānakriyodyatam | hatvā mṛgaṃ jalāsaktaṃ naraḥ pāpena lipyate

Translation

Si un homme tue un animal endormi, engagé dans l’accouplement, prêt à allaiter, ou absorbé à boire de l’eau, il se trouve souillé par le péché.

Word by Word

• सुप्तम्: sleeping
• सुप्तम्: Karma-visheshana (Qualifier of object/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वप् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (Past active participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• मैथुनसंयुक्तम्: engaged in mating
• मैथुनसंयुक्तम्: Karma-visheshana (Qualifier of object/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मैथुन + संयुक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तृतीया-तत्पुरुष (मैथुनेन संयुक्तम्)

• स्तनपानक्रियोद्यतम्: intent on the act of suckling
• स्तनपानक्रियोद्यतम्: Karma-visheshana (Qualifier of object/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्तनपान + क्रिया + उद्यत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (स्तनपानस्य क्रिया) + तृतीया-तत्पुरुष (तया उद्यतम्)

• हत्वा: having killed
• हत्वा: Kriya (Prior action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• मृगम्: a deer
• मृगम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• जलासक्तम्: attached to water (drinking/at water)
• जलासक्तम्: Karma-visheshana (Qualifier of object/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जल + आसक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सप्तमी/तृतीया-तत्पुरुषार्थ (जले आसक्तम्)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• पापेन: by sin
• पापेन: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• लिप्यते: is tainted
• लिप्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लिप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (Passive)

Speaker

Mṛgī (the doe)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vignettes of prohibited acts: an animal curled asleep, a mating pair, a nursing mother with fawn, and a deer drinking at water—shown as ‘do not strike’ moments; the king watches, chastened.

Characters & Entities

• nara (man/hunter)
• mṛga (animal)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even sanctioned violence becomes adharma when it targets beings in vulnerable, life-sustaining acts.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it provides dharma-vidhi within a tīrtha-māhātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A dharmic restriction (vidhi) on hunting: do not kill animals while asleep, mating, suckling, or drinking.