Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

षोडशर्चं महासूक्तं नारायणमयं परम् । तस्यापि पाठमात्रेण ब्रह्महत्या निव र्तते

Transliteration

ṣoḍaśarcaṃ mahāsūktaṃ nārāyaṇamayaṃ param | tasyāpi pāṭhamātreṇa brahmahatyā niva rtate

Translation

Ce suprême Grand Hymne de seize vers, entièrement pénétré de Nārāyaṇa : par sa seule récitation, même le péché de brahma-hatyā (le meurtre d’un brāhmaṇa) est repoussé et s’éteint.

Word by Word

• षोडश-ऋचम्: consisting of sixteen verses
• षोडश-ऋचम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षोडश (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + ऋच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः, विशेषणम्

• महा-सूक्तम्: the great hymn
• महा-सूक्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + सूक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नारायण-मयम्: filled with/consisting of Nārāyaṇa
• नारायण-मयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नारायण (प्रातिपदिक) + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• तस्य: of that (hymn)
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन; (नपुंसक/पुं) सर्वनाम

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha-bodhaka (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावन/समुच्चय-निपात (also/even)

• पाठ-मात्रेण: by mere recitation
• पाठ-मात्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाठ (प्रातिपदिक) + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; करणत्वेन

• ब्रह्म-हत्या: Brahmin-slaying (sin)
• ब्रह्म-हत्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + हत्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• निवर्तते: ceases; turns back
• निवर्तते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + √वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट् लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Narratorial voice within Tīrthamāhātmya (deductively: Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa-like purāṇic narrator addressing listeners)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa recites a sixteen-verse hymn before a small shrine; syllables appear as luminous script forming a protective aura that repels a dark ‘brahma-hatyā’ shadow; Nārāyaṇa’s presence is suggested as all-pervading light.

Characters & Entities

• Nārāyaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional recitation centered on Nārāyaṇa is presented as a powerful purifier capable of overcoming even the gravest karmic stains.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse occurs in a Tīrthamāhātmya setting (Nāgarakhaṇḍa), emphasizing tīrtha-linked worship, though this single verse itself highlights the hymn’s power rather than naming a site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pāṭha—reciting a sixteen-verse Mahāsūkta dedicated to Nārāyaṇa—as an act of purification/prāyaścitta.