Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

ये भीतांश्च प्रपन्नांश्चघातयंति मदोद्धताः । ब्रह्मघ्नास्तेऽपि विज्ञेया महापातकसंयुताः

Transliteration

ye bhītāṃśca prapannāṃścaghātayaṃti madoddhatāḥ | brahmaghnāste'pi vijñeyā mahāpātakasaṃyutāḥ

Translation

അഹങ്കാരമദത്തിൽ ഉന്മത്തരായി ഭീതരെയും ശരണാഗതരെയും വധിക്കുന്നവർ, അവർയും ‘ബ്രഹ്മഘ്നർ’ എന്നു തന്നെ അറിയപ്പെടണം—മഹാപാതകസഹിതർ।

Word by Word

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

• भीतान्: the frightened (ones)
• भीतान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भीत (√भी धातु, क्त-प्रत्यय; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण-प्रयोगः

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• प्रपन्नान्: the surrendered/refuge-seeking
• प्रपन्नान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रपन्न (√पद्/√पन्?; √पद् with प्र-उपसर्ग, क्त-प्रत्यय; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; शरणागत-भावः (those who have surrendered)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• घातयन्ति: kill/slay
• घातयन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √घातय् (√हन् धातु का णिच्-प्रयोगः; causative)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्; णिजन्त (causative: cause to be killed/kill)

• मदोद्धताः: arrogant with intoxication/pride
• मदोद्धताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मद-उद्धत (प्रातिपदिक; घटकौ: मद + उद्धत)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (मदेन उद्धताः)

• ब्रह्मघ्नाः: Brahmin-slayers
• ब्रह्मघ्नाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्म-घ्न (प्रातिपदिक; घटकौ: ब्रह्मन् + घ्न)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्मणः घ्नाः = slayers of Brahmins)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle: also/even)

• विज्ञेयाः: are to be known (as)
• विज्ञेयाः: Kriya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विज्ञेय (√ज्ञा धातु, वि-उपसर्ग; तव्यत्/य-प्रत्यय; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तव्यत्-कृदन्त (gerundive/passive necessity), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (to be known)

• महापातकसंयुताः: endowed with great sin
• महापातकसंयुताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महापातक-संयुत (प्रातिपदिक; घटकौ: महापातक + संयुत)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (महापातकेन संयुताः = associated with great sin)

Speaker

Nārada

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Indra (immediate); broader audience includes rulers/warriors as exemplars

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Nārada delivers a severe warning: pride-intoxicated slayers of the frightened are branded as mahāpātakins; the scene shifts from battle to moral judgment, with the surrendered shown in supplication.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Indra (implied addressee)
• Prapanna (refuge-seekers)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Killing the surrendered or terrified is a grave adharma, equated with the worst sins; true righteousness protects the helpless.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is directly praised; the Kedāra section uses the story to teach dharma appropriate to sacred space and pilgrimage culture.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None is stated in this verse.