Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

तत्र ये पापनिचयाः स्थूला नरकहेतवः । ते समासेन कथ्यंते मनोवाक्कायसाधनाः

Transliteration

tatra ye pāpanicayāḥ sthūlā narakahetavaḥ | te samāsena kathyaṃte manovākkāyasādhanāḥ

Translation

ഇവയിൽ സ്ഥൂലമായ പാപസഞ്ചയങ്ങൾ നരകഹേതുക്കളാണ്; അവ സംക്ഷേപമായി പറയപ്പെടുന്നു—മനം, വാക്ക്, കായം എന്നിവയാൽ ചെയ്തവ.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there / in that context
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देश/प्रसङ्गवाचक अव्यय (adverb)

• ये: which (those)
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक सर्वनाम

• पापनिचयाः: accumulations of sin
• पापनिचयाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप + निचय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—पापानां निचयाः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• स्थूलाः: gross
• स्थूलाः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्थूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (पापनिचयाः)

• नरकहेतवः: causes of hell
• नरकहेतवः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक + हेतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—नरकस्य हेतवः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• ते: those
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; अन्वयः—ते (पापनिचयाः)

• समासेन: briefly / in summary
• समासेन: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: समास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-एकवचनरूपेण क्रियाविशेषणवत् (instrumental used adverbially): ‘संक्षेपेण’

• कथ्यन्ते: are described
• कथ्यन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), आत्मनेपद

• मनः: mind
• मनः: Samasa-anga (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिकरूप (समासपूर्वपद)

• वाक्: speech
• वाक्: Samasa-anga (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिकरूप (समासपूर्वपद)

• काय: body
• काय: Samasa-anga (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिकरूप (समासपूर्वपद)

• साधनाः: (sins) effected through mind, speech, and body
• साधनाः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—मनः + वाक् + काय (इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व) + साधनाः (बहुव्रीहिवत् ‘साधन’/‘कृत्य’ अर्थे)

Speaker

Mahākāla

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahākāla-kṣetra (Ujjayinī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Mahākāla enumerates the triad of instruments—manas, vāk, kāya—shown as symbolic flames or three streams converging, with a subtle vision of naraka as a cautionary backdrop fading behind the teaching scene.

Characters & Entities

• Mahākāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Moral accountability spans all three instruments—mind, speech, and body—and gross wrongdoing bears heavy consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named; the verse introduces an ethical enumeration of pāpa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it announces a structured listing of sinful actions by the threefold means.