Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 101

Devanagari script

यच्च निक्षेपहर्तॄणां यच्च विश्वासघातिनाम् । तन्मे स्याद्यदि नो हन्मि सर्पं दृष्टिवशं गतम्

Transliteration

yacca nikṣepahartṝṇāṃ yacca viśvāsaghātinām | tanme syādyadi no hanmi sarpaṃ dṛṣṭivaśaṃ gatam

Translation

ನಿಕ್ಷೇಪವನ್ನು ಕಸಿದುಕೊಳ್ಳುವವರಿಗೂ ವಿಶ್ವಾಸಘಾತಕರಿಗೂ ಇರುವ ಪಾಪವು ನನಗೆ ಬರಲಿ—ನನ್ನ ದೃಷ್ಟಿಗೆ ಬಂದ ಸರ್ಪವನ್ನು ನಾನು ಸಂಹರಿಸದಿದ್ದರೆ।

Word by Word

• यत्: whatever (sin)
• यत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय) = conjunction 'and'

• निक्षेपहर्तॄणाम्: of those who steal deposits/trusts
• निक्षेपहर्तॄणाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nikṣepa-hartṛ (प्रातिपदिक; निक्षेप + हर्तृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; 'of deposit-stealers'

• यत्: whatever (sin)
• यत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय)

• विश्वासघातिनाम्: of betrayers of trust
• विश्वासघातिनाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśvāsa-ghātin (प्रातिपदिक; विश्वास + घातिन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; 'of betrayers of trust'

• तत्: that (sin)
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तद्-सम्बन्ध (correlative)

• मे: to me / of me
• मे: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी/चतुर्थी एकवचन-रूप (enclitic); अत्र षष्ठी = 'of me'

• स्यात्: would be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition/शर्त)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (शर्त-निपात) = conditional 'if'

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध)

• हन्मि: I kill
• हन्मि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √han (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सर्पम्: a snake
• सर्पम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• दृष्टिवशम्: under (my) sight/control
• दृष्टिवशम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dṛṣṭi-vaśa (प्रातिपदिक; दृष्टि + वश)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• गतम्: come/entered (that state)
• गतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √gam (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-कृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Unspecified first-person narrator (context not provided in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The speaker, still fierce, invokes notorious sins as self-imprecation; shadowy vignettes of betrayal and stolen deposits appear as symbolic overlays, while a serpent motif anchors the vow’s target.

Characters & Entities

• Sarpāḥ (serpents)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It highlights the gravity of betraying trust in dharma discourse, while also showing how anger can distort judgment into extreme vows.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this shloka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse continues a narrative oath.