Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 67

Devanagari script

सर्वपापाधिकं पापं बालहत्या द्विजोत्तम । बालहत्यायुतो विप्रः पच्यते नरके ध्रुवम्

Transliteration

sarvapāpādhikaṃ pāpaṃ bālahatyā dvijottama | bālahatyāyuto vipraḥ pacyate narake dhruvam

Translation

Membunuh anak adalah dosa yang melampaui segala dosa, wahai yang terbaik dari kaum dwija. Seorang Brahmana yang ternoda oleh pembunuhan anak pasti akan dimasak di neraka.

Word by Word

• सर्वपापाधिकम्: greater than all sins
• सर्वपापाधिकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + पाप + अधिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (सर्वेषां पापानाम् अधिकम्)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma/Predicate (Object/Predicative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• बालहत्या: killing of a child
• बालहत्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बालहत्या (प्रातिपदिक: बाल + हत्या)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (बालस्य हत्या)

• द्विजोत्तम: O best of the twice-born
• द्विजोत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विजोत्तम (प्रातिपदिक: द्विज + उत्तम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (द्विजानाम् उत्तमः)

• बालहत्यायुतः: associated with child-murder
• बालहत्यायुतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बालहत्या + युत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √यु (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (बालहत्यया युतः = endowed/associated with child-murder)

• विप्रः: a brahmin
• विप्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• पच्यते: is tormented / is cooked
• पच्यते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive: is cooked/tormented)

• नरके: in hell
• नरके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• ध्रुवम्: certainly
• ध्रुवम्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ध्रुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (indeclinable adverbial accusative)

Speaker

Unspecified narrator within Revā Khaṇḍa (ethical injunction addressed to a dvija)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra tīrthas (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stern dharma proclamation: the sage addresses ‘dvijottama’ and depicts the inevitability of naraka for bāla-hatyā, with imagery of hellfire ‘cooking’ as a moral deterrent.

Characters & Entities

• Naraka
• Vipra (brāhmaṇa)
• Dvija

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ahiṃsā is foundational; harming the helpless (especially children) is presented as an extreme adharma with severe karmic retribution.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse is part of Revā Khaṇḍa’s broader dharma instruction within the Narmadā sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse functions as a strict prohibition and moral warning.