Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 77

Devanagari script

प्रतिश्रुत्य न यो दद्याद्ब्राह्मणाय गवादिकम् । तस्यैनसा स युज्येत बिसस्तैन्यं करोति यः

Transliteration

pratiśrutya na yo dadyādbrāhmaṇāya gavādikam | tasyainasā sa yujyeta bisastainyaṃ karoti yaḥ

Translation

जो ब्राह्मण को गाय आदि देने का वचन देकर भी नहीं देता, वह उस पाप से बँध जाता है; वह कमल-डंठल-चोर के समान माना जाता है।

Word by Word

• प्रतिश्रुत्य: having promised
• प्रतिश्रुत्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति + श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

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

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक

• दद्यात्: should give
• दद्यात्: Kriya (Potential action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ब्राह्मणाय: to a brahmin
• ब्राह्मणाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• गवादिकम्: a cow and the like (livestock etc.)
• गवादिकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो + आदि + क (प्रातिपदिक); गो=cow, आदि=etc.
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समाहार/समुच्चयार्थ ("cow and the like")

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• एनसा: with sin/by sin
• एनसा: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• युज्येत: would be joined/associated
• युज्येत: Kriya (Result/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: युज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• बिसस्तैन्यम्: theft of lotus-stalks
• बिसस्तैन्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बिस + स्तैन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• करोति: does/commits
• करोति: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Māhātmya-style instruction within Nāgarakhaṇḍa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim makes a vow before a brāhmaṇa and a sacred fire, then turns away withholding cows; the rishi’s words hang like a moral verdict; lotus-stalk theft motif appears as a symbolic inset.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Go (cow)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma requires truthfulness in one’s pledged gifts; breaking a donation promise accrues sin comparable to theft.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse occurs within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya framework; the immediate verse focuses on dāna-dharma rather than naming a single tīrtha in the snippet.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It prescribes fulfilling promised dāna—especially giving cows (and similar offerings) to brāhmaṇas—warning that failure to do so incurs serious demerit.