Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

वाचिकं चैव यत्पापं नाभुक्त्वा तत्प्रणश्यति । पुरश्चरणबाह्यं तु सत्यमेतन्मयोदितम्

Transliteration

vācikaṃ caiva yatpāpaṃ nābhuktvā tatpraṇaśyati | puraścaraṇabāhyaṃ tu satyametanmayoditam

Translation

വാക്കിലൂടെ ഉണ്ടായ പാപം അതിന്റെ ഫലം അനുഭവിക്കാതെയും നശിക്കാം—ഇത് ഞാൻ ഉച്ചരിച്ച സത്യവചനം; പുരശ്ചരണാദി വിപുലാനുഷ്ഠാനങ്ങൾ കൂടാതെ.

Word by Word

• vācikaṃ: verbal (by speech)
• vācikaṃ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vācika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात (emphasis)

• yat: which
• yat: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-विशेषण (relative adjective)

• pāpaṃ: sin
• pāpaṃ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Singular)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-निपात (negation particle)

• abhuktvā: without experiencing/enjoying (the result)
• abhuktvā: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial to verb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhuj (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund); उपसर्ग 'a-' (negation) सहित: 'without experiencing'

• tat: that (sin)
• tat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; अन्वयार्थक (correlative pronoun: 'that')

• praṇaśyati: is completely destroyed
• praṇaśyati: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: naś (धातु) + उपसर्ग pra-
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Present indicative, 3rd person, Singular)

• puraścaraṇa-bāhyaṃ: without (the need of) preliminary observance (puraścaraṇa)
• puraścaraṇa-bāhyaṃ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puraścaraṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + bāhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'puraścaraṇasya bāhyam' (outside/without preliminary rite)

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• satyam: truth
• satyam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: satya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Singular)

• etat: this
• etat: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Singular)

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Kartr̥ (Agent in passive sense/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3), एकवचन (1st person pronoun, Instrumental, Singular)

• uditam: said/uttered
• uditam: Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vad (धातु) + ud- (उपसर्ग) + udita (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगार्थ (past passive participle: 'said/uttered')

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A speaker with folded hands before elders, a ribbon-like stream of words transforming from dark to bright syllables; a small ritual fire or lamp nearby, indicating purification without elaborate rites.

Characters & Entities

• Mārkaṇḍeya
• Rohitāśva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Faults of speech can be cleansed through proper rectification, and dharma offers accessible means rather than only complex austerities.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is identified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse indicates removal of vācika pāpa without requiring elaborate puraścaraṇa-style preliminaries.