Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 70

Devanagari script

अलक्षिता मदपरैर्भर्त्सयंती पदेपदे । यन्मया शापदग्धेन कृतमहो दुरत्ययम् । न शांतिर्जायते तस्य प्रायश्चित्तसहस्रकैः

Transliteration

alakṣitā madaparairbhartsayaṃtī padepade | yanmayā śāpadagdhena kṛtamaho duratyayam | na śāṃtirjāyate tasya prāyaścittasahasrakaiḥ

Translation

അഹങ്കാരമദത്തിൽ മത്തായവർ അറിയാതെ, അവൾ ഓരോ പടിയിലും എന്നെ ശാസിക്കുന്നു. അയ്യോ! ശാപദഗ്ധനായ ഞാൻ ചെയ്തതു കടക്കാൻ ദുഷ്കരമായ മഹാപാതകം; അതിന് ആയിരം പ്രായശ്ചിത്തങ്ങൾ ചെയ്താലും ശാന്തി ഉദിക്കുകയില്ല.

Word by Word

• अलक्षिता: unnoticed
• अलक्षिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + लक्ष् (धातु) → अलक्षित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृत् (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्: 'unnoticed'

• मदपरैः: by those devoted to pride (my proud ones)
• मदपरैः: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मद + पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (मदे पराः = 'devoted to pride/intoxication')

• भर्त्सयन्ती: rebuking, scolding
• भर्त्सयन्ती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भर्त्स् (धातु) → भर्त्सयत् (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शानच्), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तरि: 'rebuking'

• पदे: at (each) step/place
• पदे: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• पदे: at every step
• पदे: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (idiom: 'at every step')

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• मया: by me
• मया: Kartr (Agent expressed instrumentally)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• शापदग्धेन: (by me) burnt by a curse
• शापदग्धेन: Karana (Instrument/State)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शाप + दग्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (शापेन दग्धः) विशेषणम् (मया)

• कृतम्: done, committed
• कृतम्: Karma (Object/Result)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृत् (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे: 'done'

• अहो: alas! indeed!
• अहो: Bhava (Exclamation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहो (अव्यय)
• Form: विस्मय/खेदसूचक-अव्यय (interjection)

• दुरत्ययम्: hard to atone for, difficult to overcome
• दुरत्ययम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर् + अत्यय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः/नञ्-न, 'hard to atone/overcome' विशेषणम् (कृतम्)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation)

• शान्तिः: peace, appeasement
• शान्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शान्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• जायते: arises, is produced
• जायते: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• तस्य: of that / for that (sin/deed)
• तस्य: Sambandha (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• प्रायश्चित्तसहस्रकैः: by thousands of expiations
• प्रायश्चित्तसहस्रकैः: Karana (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रायश्चित्त + सहस्रक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (प्रायश्चित्तानां सहस्रकैः)

Speaker

King (unnamed in the snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king confesses with downcast eyes; a faint aura of ‘burning’ (curse) is symbolized as dark-red haze around him; behind, a subtle feminine figure (conscience/‘she’ who reproaches) appears as a shadowy presence; the sage remains compassionate.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmahatyā (implied)
• Śāpa (curse)
• Prāyaścitta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Grave wrongdoing produces relentless inner torment; pride blinds one to it, and mere quantity of expiations cannot replace the right, divinely aligned remedy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None directly; the verse emphasizes the moral-psychological weight of sin rather than a location.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Prāyaścitta (expiation) is mentioned—specifically that even thousands of expiations did not yield peace for this offense.