Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

पुनः पापफलं किंचिद्धा कष्टं मम वर्तते । व्यथितोऽहं त्वया पापे किमर्थं सूनकर्मणि

Transliteration

punaḥ pāpaphalaṃ kiṃciddhā kaṣṭaṃ mama vartate | vyathito'haṃ tvayā pāpe kimarthaṃ sūnakarmaṇi

Translation

അയ്യോ! വീണ്ടും പാപഫലമായ ഏതോ കഠിനദുഃഖം എനിക്കു വന്നിരിക്കുന്നു. ഹേ പാപിനീ, നിന്മൂലം ഞാൻ വ്യഥിതനാണ്—നീ എന്തിന് സൂനകർമ്മത്തിൽ, അഥവാ കശാപ്പുകാരന്റെ പ്രവൃത്തിയിൽ, ഏർപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുന്നു?

Word by Word

• पुनः: again
• पुनः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुनः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; पुनरुक्ति/कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: again)

• पापफलम्: fruit/result of sin
• पापफलम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पापस्य फलम्)

• किंचित्: some, a little
• किंचित्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: किंचित् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अनिश्चितपरिमाणवाचक (some)

• धा: indeed/just (particle)
• धा: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: धा (अव्यय/निपात)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphatic/indeclinable)

• कष्टम्: distress, hardship
• कष्टम्: Karta (Subject complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कष्ट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• मम: of me, my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th case/genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• वर्तते: exists, occurs, happens
• वर्तते: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृत् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• व्यथितः: afflicted, pained
• व्यथितः: Karta (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्यथ् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past participle); पुल्लिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st case/nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karaṇa (Instrument/agent in passive sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd case/instrumental), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पापे: in/with sin, in wrongdoing
• पापे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/occasion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th case/locative), एकवचन

• किमर्थम्: why, for what reason
• किमर्थम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Interrogative adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रश्नवाचक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb); तत्पुरुष (कस्य अर्थः)

• सूनकर्मणि: in the act of slaughter/butchery
• सूनकर्मणि: Adhikaraṇa (Context/occasion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सून (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (सूनस्य कर्म)

Speaker

Impalement-suffering brāhmaṇa/ṛṣi (husband, implied; speaking to Śāṇḍilī in delusion)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha milieu (unspecified sub-tīrtha)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira (explicit vocative)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A distressed man, face contorted with remorse, recoils as if from an unseen stain of sin; night setting implied, with a faint riverine or forest hermitage atmosphere.

Characters & Entities

• pāpa (sin)
• sūna-karma (butchery/slaughter work)
• Śāṇḍilī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Under intense suffering, delusion and harsh speech can arise; the Purāṇic lesson is to recognize karmic pain without unjustly accusing the innocent.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse is an ethical and psychological turning point in the Revā Khaṇḍa story.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; the verse reflects dharma discourse around pāpaphala and the condemned act of sūna-karma (slaughter).