Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

वीरं हि पुरुषं हत्वा गोसहस्रेण मुच्यते । यथाकथंचित्पुरुषो न हंतव्यस्ततो बुधैः

Transliteration

vīraṃ hi puruṣaṃ hatvā gosahasreṇa mucyate | yathākathaṃcitpuruṣo na haṃtavyastato budhaiḥ

Translation

વીર પુરુષનો વધ કરવાથી થયેલું પાપ પણ સહસ્ર ગાયોના દાન-પ્રાયશ્ચિત્તથી મુક્ત થાય છે. તેથી કોઈ પણ રીતે મનુષ્યનો વધ ન કરવો—એવું બુદ્ધિમાનોનું નિશ્ચય છે.

Word by Word

• वीरम्: a hero, brave man
• वीरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• हि: indeed, for
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय; हेत्वर्थ/बलार्थ-प्रयोग

• पुरुषम्: a man, person
• पुरुषम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• हत्वा: having killed
• हत्वा: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया; ‘having killed’

• गो-सहस्रेण: by (the gift/penance of) a thousand cows
• गो-सहस्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गवां सहस्रम्)

• मुच्यते: is released, is absolved
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• यथा-कथंचित्-पुरुषः: a man (even) somehow/anyhow
• यथा-कथंचित्-पुरुषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + कथंचित् (अव्यय) + पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; अव्ययीभाव-समासः (यथा कथंचित् = somehow)

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

• हन्तव्यः: to be killed, should be killed
• हन्तव्यः: Kriya (Obligation predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive/future passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicate adjective)

• ततः: therefore, from that
• ततः: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अपादान/हेतु-अर्थे (from that/therefore)

• बुधैः: by the wise (people)
• बुधैः: Kartr-karana (Agent/instrument in passive/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Guha (Skanda/Kārttikeya) quoting traditional dharma-verse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solemn dharma-council atmosphere: a speaker warns against killing; in the background, a symbolic herd of cows signifies expiation, while a restrained warrior lowers his weapon.

Characters & Entities

• Gauḥ (cows) (as expiatory measure)
• Buddhāḥ (the wise)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Human life is to be protected; even when expiation exists, the wise avoid killing as a dharmic ideal.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is referenced; the verse is a general dharma teaching.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Gosahasra—an expiatory act involving a thousand cows (typically understood as donation/atonement in dharma literature).