Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

लोभमोहपरो योऽसौ पापपिंडं महामुने । प्रददाति विधिं ब्रूहि येन यच्छाम्यहं द्रुतम्

Transliteration

lobhamohaparo yo'sau pāpapiṃḍaṃ mahāmune | pradadāti vidhiṃ brūhi yena yacchāmyahaṃ drutam

Translation

ഹേ മഹാമുനേ! ലോഭമോഹങ്ങൾക്ക് അടിമയായ ആ വ്യക്തി ‘പാപരൂപ പിണ്ഡം’ ഏതു വിധിയിൽ അർപ്പിക്കണം—ആ വിധാനം പറയുക; അതുവഴി ഞാൻ വേഗത്തിൽ അത് നിർവഹിക്കുവാൻ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• lobhamohaparaḥ: devoted to greed and delusion
• lobhamohaparaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: lobha-moha-para (प्रातिपदिक; लोभ + मोह + पर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine; Nominative; Singular); ‘यः’ इति विशेषण (adjective of yaḥ)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine; Nominative; Singular); सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• asau: that (man)
• asau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine; Nominative; Singular); संकेतार्थक (demonstrative “that/he”)

• pāpapiṃḍam: a sin-offering lump (piṇḍa)
• pāpapiṃḍam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa-piṃḍa (प्रातिपदिक; पाप + पिण्ड)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine; Accusative; Singular)

• mahāmune: O great sage
• mahāmune: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-muni (प्रातिपदिक; महा + मुनि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine; Vocative; Singular)

• pradadāti: gives/offers
• pradadāti: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-dā (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Present; 3rd person; Singular; Parasmaipada)

• vidhim: the procedure/rite
• vidhim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine; Accusative; Singular)

• brūhi: tell (me)
• brūhi: Kriya (Command/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/Imperative); मध्यमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Imperative; 2nd person; Singular; Parasmaipada)

• yena: by which
• yena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति; एकवचन (Neuter; Instrumental; Singular)

• yacchāmi: I may attain/obtain
• yacchāmi: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yam (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान); उत्तमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Present; 1st person; Singular; Parasmaipada)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा विभक्ति; एकवचन (Nominative; Singular)

• drutam: quickly
• drutam: Kala (Manner/Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: druta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोगः; द्वितीया-एकवचनरूपेण (adverbial use of accusative)

Speaker

Unspecified (a questioner addressing Bhartṛyajña/mahāmuni in dialogue)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A troubled householder confesses that greed and delusion dominate him and asks a great sage for the exact method to offer a symbolic 'sin-piṇḍa' as expiation.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even one afflicted by greed and delusion can seek purification by approaching a sage and following a prescribed rite with sincerity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within the Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya; the specific tīrtha is not named in this single śloka excerpt.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A request is made for the correct procedure (vidhi) to offer a ‘pāpapiṇḍa’ (a piṇḍa offering connected with expiation).