Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 62

Devanagari script

त्यजामि ब्राह्मणान्यज्ञे पशुहिंसापरायणान् । तस्माद्धि हिंसकानां तु न मे भक्तिर्भवेद्द्विजाः

Transliteration

tyajāmi brāhmaṇānyajñe paśuhiṃsāparāyaṇān | tasmāddhi hiṃsakānāṃ tu na me bhaktirbhaveddvijāḥ

Translation

യജ്ഞത്തിൽ പശുഹിംസയിൽ പരായണരായ ബ്രാഹ്മണരെ ഞാൻ ഉപേക്ഷിക്കുന്നു. അതിനാൽ, ഹേ ദ്വിജന്മാരേ, ഹിംസകരോടു എനിക്ക് ഭക്തി/ആദരം ഉണ്ടാകുകയില്ല.

Word by Word

• त्यजामि: I abandon/renounce
• त्यजामि: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ब्राह्मणान्: Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• यज्ञे: in sacrifice
• यज्ञे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• पशुहिंसापरायणान्: devoted to animal-slaughter
• पशुहिंसापरायणान्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पशु (प्रातिपदिक) + हिंसा (प्रातिपदिक) + परायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (determinative; 'devoted to animal-killing'); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifies ब्राह्मणान्)

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात् इति अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः; हेत्वर्थ/अपादानार्थ (therefore/from that)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis)

• हिंसकानाम्: of killers/violent ones
• हिंसकानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिंसक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात; विरोध/अन्वयार्थ

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

• मे: my/to me
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (Genitive/6th), एकवचन

• भक्तिः: devotion
• भक्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भवेत्: would be/should arise
• भवेत्: Kriyā (Potential state/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• द्विजाः: O twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजाः: Āmantraṇa (Address/आमन्त्रण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), बहुवचन

Speaker

Kumārapāla

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kumārapāla speaks with calm intensity, renouncing brāhmaṇas devoted to animal-killing in sacrifice; brāhmaṇas react—some indignant, some contemplative—while the court falls silent.

Characters & Entities

• Kumārapāla
• brāhmaṇas (dvijāḥ)
• yajña
• paśu-hiṃsā (animal killing)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ahiṃsā is upheld as a superior religious principle, overriding ritual when ritual becomes a vehicle of cruelty.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The moral teaching is delivered within Dharmāraṇya’s sacred setting, emphasizing dharma rather than a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It implicitly rejects animal-killing within yajña and advocates a non-violent standard for religious practice.