Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

सांकृतिरुवाच । अनृतं नोक्तपूर्वं मे स्वैरेष्वपि पितामह । ज्ञायते देवदेवेश तत्कथं तत्करोम्यहम्

Transliteration

sāṃkṛtiruvāca | anṛtaṃ noktapūrvaṃ me svaireṣvapi pitāmaha | jñāyate devadeveśa tatkathaṃ tatkaromyaham

Translation

സാംകൃതി പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ പിതാമഹാ, ഞാൻ മുമ്പ് ഒരിക്കലും അസത്യം പറഞ്ഞിട്ടില്ല; അശ്രദ്ധയുടെ നിമിഷങ്ങളിലും അല്ല. ദേവദേവേശൻ സർവജ്ഞനായിരിക്കെ ഞാൻ അത് (അസത്യം) എങ്ങനെ ചെയ്യാം?

Word by Word

• सांकृतिः: Sāṃkṛti
• सांकृतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सांकृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अनृतम्: untruth
• अनृतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• उक्तपूर्वम्: previously uttered
• उक्तपूर्वम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उक्त + पूर्व (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण; समासः—उक्तं पूर्वं यस्य (previously spoken)

• मे: by me / my
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• स्वैरेषु: in (matters of) one’s own will / freely
• स्वैरेषु: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वैर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), बहुवचन

• अपि: even / also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपवादार्थक-अव्यय (also/even)

• पितामह: O Grandfather (Brahmā)
• पितामह: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ज्ञायते: is known
• ज्ञायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• देवदेवेश: O Lord of the god of gods
• देवदेवेश: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + देव + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—देवानां देवस्य ईशः (Lord of the god of gods)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• कथम्: how
• कथम्: Kriya-visheshana (Interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• करोमि: do
• करोमि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

Speaker

Sāṃkṛti

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sāṃkṛti, composed yet firm, addresses Brahmā with folded hands, declaring he has never spoken untruth and cannot do so because the Lord knows all.

Characters & Entities

• Sāṃkṛti
• Brahmā (Pitāmaha)
• Devadeveśa (Lord of gods)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Truthfulness (satya) is a foundational dharma; one should not adopt falsehood even under pressure, since the Divine is all-knowing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse occurs within Tīrthamāhātmya narrative framing, but this particular line emphasizes ethical dharma rather than naming a distinct tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the instruction here is moral—steadfastness in satya.