Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

यस्मात्पाप त्वया सर्पः क्षिप्तः सदसि दुर्मते । तस्माद्भव द्रुतं सर्पो मम वाक्यादसंशयम्

Transliteration

yasmātpāpa tvayā sarpaḥ kṣiptaḥ sadasi durmate | tasmādbhava drutaṃ sarpo mama vākyādasaṃśayam

Translation

‘Wahai pendosa, berhati jahat! Karena engkau melemparkan ular ke dalam sidang suci, maka oleh sabdaku—tanpa ragu—jadilah engkau ular seketika!’

Word by Word

• यस्मात्: because
• यस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बन्ध-अव्यय (relative adverbial/यत्-तत् सम्बन्ध), पञ्चमी-अर्थे 'because/from which reason'

• पाप: O sinner
• पाप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Kartr-karana (Agent expressed instrumentally/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• सर्पः: a snake
• सर्पः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• क्षिप्तः: thrown
• क्षिप्तः: Kriya (Predicate participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्षिप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (Past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग प्रथमा एकवचन; 'thrown'

• सदसि: in the assembly
• सदसि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सदस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दुर्मते: O evil-minded one
• दुर्मते: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्मति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu-phala (Result marker/फलसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बन्ध-अव्यय (correlative adverbial), पञ्चमी-अर्थे 'therefore/from that reason'

• भव: become
• भव: Kriya (Command/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• द्रुतम्: quickly
• द्रुतम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: द्रुतम् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-नपुंसक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

• सर्पः: a snake
• सर्पः: Pratipadyam (Predicate complement/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-नाम (predicate nominative)

• मम: my
• मम: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• वाक्यात्: from (because of) the word/command
• वाक्यात्: Apadana/Hetu (Source/Cause/अपादान-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन

• असंशयम्: without doubt
• असंशयम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: असंशयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-अव्यय (adverb)

Speaker

The son (Maitrāvaruṇa priest) addressing the offender (baṭu/child, per next verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A brāhmaṇa/ṛtvij, eyes blazing with righteous anger, pronounces a curse toward a boy; the assembly watches; the serpent incident is the backdrop, with ritual fire and implements present.

Characters & Entities

• sarpa
• sadas
• Maitrāvaruṇa (implied speaker role)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Aparādha (wrongdoing) in a sacred space ripens swiftly; purāṇic ethics portray speech-power (vāg-bala) enforcing dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is within Tīrthamāhātmya, but this specific line focuses on moral causality rather than naming the tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it is a judicial/ethical pronouncement (śāpa) tied to ritual violation.