Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

एतत्पापसहस्राणां मूलं प्राहुर्मनीषिणः । तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन कार्या भूतदया नृभिः

Transliteration

etatpāpasahasrāṇāṃ mūlaṃ prāhurmanīṣiṇaḥ | tasmātsarvaprayatnena kāryā bhūtadayā nṛbhiḥ

Translation

Les sages déclarent que ceci est la racine de milliers de péchés. C’est pourquoi, de tout effort, les hommes doivent pratiquer la compassion envers tous les êtres vivants.

Word by Word

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (मूलम् इति विशेष्ये) Nominative singular used adjectivally

• पापसहस्राणाम्: of thousands of sins
• पापसहस्राणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (पापानां सहस्राणि); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Genitive plural

• मूलम्: root, cause
• मूलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• प्राहुः: they declare
• प्राहुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + अह् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; ‘they have said/declare’

• मनीषिणः: the wise
• मनीषिणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनीषिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Nominative plural

• तस्मात्: therefore, from that
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात् इति अव्ययीभाववत् निपात-प्रयोगः; अपादानार्थक (ablatival adverb)

• सर्वप्रयत्नेन: with all effort
• सर्वप्रयत्नेन: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (सर्वः प्रयत्नः); पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; Instrumental singular

• कार्या: should be done
• कार्या: Vidhi (Injunctive predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) + य (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (यत्/य), कर्मणि; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘to be done/should be practiced’

• भूतदया: compassion toward beings
• भूतदया: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत (प्रातिपदिक) + दया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (भूतेषु दया); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• नृभिः: by men, by people
• नृभिः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Instrumental plural (कर्तृ-करणभावे: ‘by men’)

Speaker

Brahmā (inferred from chapter colophon context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nārada

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-teacher points to suffering creatures near a sacred precinct, instructing that cruelty is the root of countless sins and that compassion is the true vrata.

Characters & Entities

• Manīṣiṇaḥ (the wise)
• Bhūta-dayā (compassion to beings)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Most sins trace back to cruelty or harm; compassion is the foundational corrective virtue.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya context in Nāgara-khaṇḍa, where tīrtha-dharma is taught through Cāturmāsya rules.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Make bhūta-dayā (compassion to all beings) a deliberate, sustained practice—treated as a primary vrata discipline.