Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

उत्पाट्यते ततो जिह्वा सन्दंशैर्व ह्निसम्भवैः । स्वकार्ये येऽनृतं ब्रूयुस्तद्गात्रं खाद्यते श्वभिः

Transliteration

utpāṭyate tato jihvā sandaṃśairva hnisambhavaiḥ | svakārye ye'nṛtaṃ brūyustadgātraṃ khādyate śvabhiḥ

Translation

Alors, leur langue est arrachée avec des pinces nées du feu. Ceux qui mentent pour leurs propres fins, leurs corps sont mangés par des chiens.

Word by Word

• उत्पाट्यते: is torn out
• उत्पाट्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ut + pāṭ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), कर्मणि प्रयोग; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Apadana/Desh-Kal (Source/Time marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb): ‘ततः’ = ‘तस्मात्/thereupon’

• जिह्वा: tongue
• जिह्वा: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jihvā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• सन्दंशैः: with pincers/tongs
• सन्दंशैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sandaṃśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• व: indeed; just
• व: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: va (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle): ‘इव/एव’ अर्थे, यहाँ ‘indeed/just’

• अग्नि-सम्भवैः: born of fire; fiery
• अग्नि-सम्भवैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: agni (प्रातिपदिक) + sambhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; पञ्चमी/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषभावः (‘अग्निसम्भव’ = अग्नितः सम्भूत) ; ‘सन्दंशैः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• स्व-कार्ये: in one’s own matter
• स्व-कार्ये: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + kārya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (‘स्वस्य कार्ये’ = in one’s own affair)

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम

• अनृतम्: falsehood
• अनृतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• ब्रूयुः: should speak; speak
• ब्रूयुः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• तद्-गात्रम्: their body
• तद्-गात्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + gātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषभावः (‘तस्य गात्रम्’ = his body/limb)

• खाद्यते: is eaten
• खाद्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: khād (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), कर्मणि प्रयोग; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• श्वभिः: by dogs
• श्वभिः: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śvan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Infernal tribunal: fire-born tongs tear out tongues; elsewhere dogs consume bodies of those who lied for gain. The imagery centers on the organ of speech as karmic instrument.

Characters & Entities

• Saṃvartaka-naraka (context continuation)
• Dogs (śva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Speech used for selfish deception is treated as a serious violation of dharma; satya (truthfulness) is upheld as a foundational virtue.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named; the verse functions as a dharma instruction within the larger tīrthamāhātmya discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit dāna/vrata is stated here; it describes the karmic consequence of lying.