Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 99

Devanagari script

शक्रोऽयं विबुधश्रेष्ठा ब्रह्महत्यापरिप्लुतः । तस्मातत्त्याज्यः सुदूरेण नो चेत्पापमवाप्स्यथ

Transliteration

śakro'yaṃ vibudhaśreṣṭhā brahmahatyāpariplutaḥ | tasmātattyājyaḥ sudūreṇa no cetpāpamavāpsyatha

Translation

ഹേ ദേവശ്രേഷ്ഠന്മാരേ! ഈ ശക്രൻ ബ്രഹ്മഹത്യാദോഷത്തിൽ ആവൃതനാണ്; അതിനാൽ അവനെ വളരെ ദൂരത്തിൽ നിന്നുതന്നെ ഒഴിവാക്കുക, അല്ലെങ്കിൽ നിങ്ങളും പാപം പ്രാപിക്കും।

Word by Word

• शक्रः: Śakra (Indra)
• शक्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• विबुधश्रेष्ठाः: O best of the gods
• विबुधश्रेष्ठाः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विबुध (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष; पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• ब्रह्महत्यापरिप्लुतः: overwhelmed by brahma-slaying sin
• ब्रह्महत्यापरिप्लुतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्महत्या (प्रातिपदिक) + परिप्लुत (प्रातिपदिक/क्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुषार्थे (‘ब्रह्महत्यया परिप्लुतः’); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तस्मात्: therefore, from that reason
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थे ‘therefore’

• अत्याज्यः: must be avoided completely
• अत्याज्यः: Vidhi (Injunction/विधि)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अति + त्याज्य (कृदन्त; त्यज् धातु)
• Form: तव्यत्/यत्-अर्थे ‘त्याज्य’ (gerundive), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण

• सुदूरेण: from very far away
• सुदूरेण: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सु (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + दूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाववत् क्रियाविशेषण; ‘very far’ (instrumental-form used adverbially)

• नः: of us/for us
• नः: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (enclitic)

• चेत्: if
• चेत्: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चेत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्तसूचक (conditional particle)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अवाप्स्यथ: you will obtain/incur
• अवाप्स्यथ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), मध्यम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Brahmā (Caturvaktra)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Deva-saṅgha (assembled gods)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā raises a hand in warning; devas step back; Indra remains isolated, head bowed; the space between groups is emphasized as a protective boundary.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Śakra (Indra)
• Brahmahatyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma treats grave sin as spiritually contagious; compassion must be paired with disciplined purity and proper expiation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named site appears here; the warning anticipates a later tīrtha instruction for removing brahmahatyā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A behavioral injunction is given: maintain distance from one afflicted by brahmahatyā to avoid accruing pāpa.