Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

अश्वत्थे चरणं दत्त्वा ब्रह्महत्या प्रजायते । निष्कारणं संकुथित्वा नरके पच्यते ध्रुवम्

Transliteration

aśvatthe caraṇaṃ dattvā brahmahatyā prajāyate | niṣkāraṇaṃ saṃkuthitvā narake pacyate dhruvam

Translation

അശ്വത്ഥത്തിൽ കാൽവെച്ചാൽ ബ്രഹ്മഹത്യാസമമായ ദോഷം ജനിക്കുന്നു. കാരണമില്ലാതെ അതിനെ പരിക്കേൽപ്പിക്കുന്നവൻ നിശ്ചയമായി നരകത്തിൽ ദഹിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• अश्वत्थे: on/at the aśvattha tree
• अश्वत्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वत्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• चरणम्: a foot/step
• चरणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• दत्त्वा: having placed/given
• दत्त्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial to main verb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय, absolutive)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय-भाव (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकाले (having done)

• ब्रह्महत्या: the sin of brahmin-slaying
• ब्रह्महत्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् + हत्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रजायते: arises, is produced
• प्रजायते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• निष्कारणम्: without cause, groundlessly
• निष्कारणम्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial accusative/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निः + कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (adjective) (अकारणम्)

• संकुथित्वा: having harmed/tormented (it)
• संकुथित्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial to main verb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + √कुथ् (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय-भाव (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकाले

• नरके: in hell
• नरके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पच्यते: is cooked/tormented
• पच्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• ध्रुवम्: certainly
• ध्रुवम्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ध्रुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

Speaker

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

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aśvattha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cautionary scene: a person about to place a foot on Aśvattha is stopped by elders; the tree is shown as a sanctum, while a shadowy vision of naraka warns against needless injury.

Characters & Entities

• Aśvattha (Pippala)
• Brahmahatyā
• Naraka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred presence demands reverence; harming or dishonoring what is worship-worthy becomes a grave dharmic transgression.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Aśvattha itself is treated as a sanctified locus; the warning protects the integrity of this living ‘tīrtha’.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A prohibition: do not step on or needlessly damage the Aśvattha.