Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

अत्र चाधोमुखा बद्धा वृक्षशाखावलंबिताः । पच्यंते वह्निनाऽधस्ताद्ब्रह्मघ्ना ये च मानवाः

Transliteration

atra cādhomukhā baddhā vṛkṣaśākhāvalaṃbitāḥ | pacyaṃte vahninā'dhastādbrahmaghnā ye ca mānavāḥ

Translation

Ici, maintenus face contre terre et liés, suspendus aux branches des arbres, les humains meurtriers d'un brāhmaṇa sont cuits par le feu d'en bas.

Word by Word

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक-निपात

• adho-mukhāḥ: face-down
• adho-mukhāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adhas (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + mukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय

• baddhāḥ: bound
• baddhāḥ: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/कर्मसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bandh (धातु) → baddha (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• vṛkṣa-śākhā-avalambitāḥ: hanging from tree branches
• vṛkṣa-śākhā-avalambitāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vṛkṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + śākhā (प्रातिपदिक) + avalambita (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष (vṛkṣaśākhāsu avalambitāḥ = hanging on tree-branches)

• pacyante: are cooked / are tormented by burning
• pacyante: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pac (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• vahninā: by fire
• vahninā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vahni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• adhastāt: from below / beneath
• adhastāt: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adhastāt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of place)

• brahma-ghnāḥ: brahmin-slayers
• brahma-ghnāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + ghna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (brahmaṇaḥ ghnaḥ = slayer of a brāhmaṇa)

• ye: who
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक-निपात

• mānavāḥ: men / humans
• mānavāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In Adhomukha, inverted sinners hang from tree branches, tightly bound; flames roar upward from below, scorching them while attendants maintain the suspension.

Characters & Entities

• Adhomukha (contextual naraka)
• brahma-ghna (brahmin-slayer)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Violence against the innocent—especially brahmahatyā—destroys merit and leads to extreme karmic retribution.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is punitive cosmology within a tīrtha-focused section; it does not itself identify a pilgrimage site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No expiation (prāyaścitta) is described here; only the consequence is stated.