Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 93

Devanagari script

नान्या गतिर्मित्रहनने विश्वस्तघ्ने च नः श्रुतम् । इतो नीत्वा यमदूता एनं विश्वस्तघातिनम्

Transliteration

nānyā gatirmitrahanane viśvastaghne ca naḥ śrutam | ito nītvā yamadūtā enaṃ viśvastaghātinam

Translation

മിത്രഹന്താവിനും വിശ്വസിച്ചവനെ വധിക്കുന്നവനും മറ്റൊരു ഗതി ഞങ്ങൾ കേട്ടിട്ടില്ല. അതുകൊണ്ട് യമദൂതന്മാർ ഈ വിശ്വാസഘാതിയെ ഇവിടെ നിന്ന് കൊണ്ടുപോയി…

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• अन्या: other
• अन्या: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘न अन्या’ = ‘no other’

• गतिः: fate/destination
• गतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• मित्रहनने: in the killing of a friend
• मित्रहनने: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मित्र (प्रातिपदिक) + हनन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘मित्र-हनन’ = मित्रस्य हननम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• विश्वस्तघ्ने: in one who kills a trusting person
• विश्वस्तघ्ने: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वस्त (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + घ्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; ‘विश्वस्त-घ्न’ = विश्वस्तं हन्ति (उपपद-तत्पुरुष)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Upapada (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक

• नः: of us/our
• नः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; ‘our’

• श्रुतम्: is heard/known
• श्रुतम्: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; ‘श्रुतम् (अस्ति)’ = ‘has been heard’

• इतः: from here
• इतः: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इतस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादानार्थक/देशवाचक (‘from here’)

• नीत्वा: having taken (away)
• नीत्वा: Kriyā (Gerundial action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्ययभाव (gerund); क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त; ‘having led/taken’

• यमदूताः: messengers of Yama
• यमदूताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक) + दूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; ‘यम-दूत’ = यमस्य दूताः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• एनम्: this one/him
• एनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• विश्वस्तघातिनम्: the betrayer of a trusting person
• विश्वस्तघातिनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वस्त (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + घातिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; ‘विश्वस्त-घातिन्’ = विश्वस्तस्य घातकः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

Speaker

Yamadūtas

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (general)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yama’s messengers seize the betrayer: dark, stern figures with nooses, dragging him from the human realm; the river and pilgrims remain in the background as a silent contrast.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Yamadūta
• Mitra-droha (betrayal)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Betrayal and harming a trusting person are singled out as especially destructive adharma with severe karmic consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā (Narmadā) sacred landscape frames the chapter, but this verse is ethical-judicial rather than tīrtha-specific.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it states the moral gravity of friend-killing and trust-betrayal.