Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

तस्मान्मे पातकं ब्रूहि नो चेच्छापं सुदारुणम् । त्वयि दास्याम्यसंदिग्धं सत्ये नात्मानमालभे

Transliteration

tasmānme pātakaṃ brūhi no cecchāpaṃ sudāruṇam | tvayi dāsyāmyasaṃdigdhaṃ satye nātmānamālabhe

Translation

Dis-moi donc quel est mon péché ; sinon, je ferai tomber sur toi une malédiction des plus terribles. En vérité, je le ferai sans hésiter ; je ne me retiendrai pas.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore, from that (reason)
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/सम्बन्ध-निर्देशक), अर्थे: ‘अतः/तस्मात् कारणात्’ (from that/therefore)

• मे: of me / my
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी) एकवचन, ‘मम’ (of me)

• पातकम्: sin, fault
• पातकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पातक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया) एकवचन

• ब्रूहि: tell (me)
• ब्रूहि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (निपात)
• Form: अव्यय नकार-निषेध (negation particle)

• चेत्: if
• चेत्: Sambandha (Condition/शर्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चेत् (निपात)
• Form: अव्यय, शर्त-निर्देशक (conditional particle ‘if’)

• छापम्: curse
• छापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: छाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया) एकवचन

• सुदारुणम्: very dreadful
• सुदारुणम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु- + दारुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया) एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘छापम्’)

• त्वयि: in/for you
• त्वयि: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी) एकवचन

• दास्यामि: I will give
• दास्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future/भविष्यत्), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• असंदिग्धम्: certainly, without doubt
• असंदिग्धम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ- + संदिग्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया) एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (adverbially: ‘certainly’)

• सत्ये: in truth / by truth
• सत्ये: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी) एकवचन; ‘सत्ये’ = ‘सत्यवचने/सत्यप्रतिज्ञायाम्’ (in truth / by truth)

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (निपात)
• Form: अव्यय नकार-निषेध (negation particle)

• आत्मानम्: myself
• आत्मानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया) एकवचन

• आलभे: I touch/undertake (i.e., I will not lay hands on)
• आलभे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

The maiden (kumārikā) addressing Śakra (Indra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tense confrontation: a distressed woman demands disclosure of her sin, raising the specter of a dreadful curse; the atmosphere is charged with fear and urgency.

Characters & Entities

• Śakra (Indra)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tapas joined with satya (truth) grants formidable moral authority; power must be used to uphold dharma through accountability.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it functions as a dramatic turning point within the chapter’s Mahātmya narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No rite is prescribed; the verse invokes śāpa (curse) as a consequence backed by tapas and truth.