Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

एतत्कर्म न गृह्णंति यदि वा संत्यजाम्यहम् । महद्भयं समुत्पन्नं मम चेतसि सांप्रतम्

Transliteration

etatkarma na gṛhṇaṃti yadi vā saṃtyajāmyaham | mahadbhayaṃ samutpannaṃ mama cetasi sāṃpratam

Translation

അവർ ഈ കർമ്മം (അതിന്റെ ഫലവും) സ്വീകരിക്കാതിരുന്നാൽ, ഞാൻ അത് ഉപേക്ഷിക്കും. ഇപ്പോൾ തന്നെ എന്റെ ഹൃദയത്തിൽ മഹാഭയം ഉദിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• etat: this
• etat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• karma: act/deed
• karma: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation particle)

• gṛhṇanti: accept/take
• gṛhṇanti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: grah (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• yadi: if
• yadi: Sambandha (Condition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadi (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक अव्यय (conditional particle ‘if’)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक अव्यय (disjunctive ‘or’)

• saṃtyajāmi: I completely abandon
• saṃtyajāmi: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam + tyaj (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (Singular)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• mahat: great
• mahat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• bhayam: fear
• bhayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• samutpannam: arisen/produced
• samutpannam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sam + ut + pad (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular); क्त (past passive participle)

• mama: of me / my
• mama: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन (Singular)

• cetasi: in (my) mind
• cetasi: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cetas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Singular)

• sāṃpratam: now, at present
• sāṃpratam: Kāla (Time adjunct/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sāṃpratam (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time ‘now/at present’)

Speaker

Caurā (the thief) (inferred from context after Sūta’s narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The thief speaks to himself or to the sages: hands open as if ready to drop the stolen item; a visible ‘weight’ lifts as renunciation is contemplated.

Characters & Entities

• Caurā (thief)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Fear of karmic consequence can catalyze genuine renunciation of sinful conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha is mentioned in this verse; it supports the moral arc within the tīrtha-māhātmya chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the practical prescription implied is to give up the sinful livelihood (pāpa-karma).