Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

अश्वत्थं रोपयेद्यस्तु पृथिव्यां प्रयतो नरः । तस्य पापसहस्राणि विलयं यांति तत्क्षणात्

Transliteration

aśvatthaṃ ropayedyastu pṛthivyāṃ prayato naraḥ | tasya pāpasahasrāṇi vilayaṃ yāṃti tatkṣaṇāt

Translation

നിയമനിഷ്ഠനായ ഒരാൾ ഭൂമിയിൽ അശ്വത്ഥം നട്ടാൽ, അവന്റെ ആയിരക്കണക്കിന് പാപങ്ങൾ ആ ക്ഷണത്തിൽ തന്നെ ലയിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• अश्वत्थम्: an aśvattha tree
• अश्वत्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वत्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• रोपयेत्: should plant
• रोपयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √रुह् (धातु; causative रोपय-)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; णिच्-प्रत्यय (causative) परस्मैपद

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अनुयोग-अव्यय (particle: 'but/indeed')

• पृथिव्याम्: on/in the earth
• पृथिव्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• प्रयतः: self-controlled/intent
• प्रयतः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रयत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (of नरः)

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन

• पापसहस्राणि: thousands of sins
• पापसहस्राणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष ('thousands of sins')

• विलयम्: dissolution/destruction
• विलयम्: Gati/Karma (Goal as object/गति-कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• यान्ति: go/attain
• यान्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √या (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन

• तत्क्षणात्: immediately
• तत्क्षणात्: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत् + क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; पञ्चमी-अर्थे अव्ययप्रयोग (ablatival adverb: 'from that moment/instantly')

Speaker

Brahmā (deduced from 'Brahma–Nārada saṃvāda' colophon context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aśvattha-ropaṇa (tree as merit-tīrtha)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A disciplined devotee plants an Aśvattha sapling, offering water and prayer; a subtle aura indicates thousands of sins dissolving instantly.

Characters & Entities

• Aśvattha (Pippala)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma expressed as life-giving acts (planting sacred trees) becomes powerful prāyaścitta, dissolving accumulated sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Aśvattha is treated as a sacred locus of merit within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra māhātmya narrative frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ropaṇa—planting an Aśvattha with purity/discipline (prayata).