Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 79

Devanagari script

दुर्वासा उवाच । कृत्वा पापसहस्राणि पश्चाद्धर्मपरो भवेत् । यः पुमान्सोऽतिकृच्छ्रेण तरेत्संसारसागरम्

Transliteration

durvāsā uvāca | kṛtvā pāpasahasrāṇi paścāddharmaparo bhavet | yaḥ pumānso'tikṛcchreṇa taretsaṃsārasāgaram

Translation

Durvāsā bersabda: Walau seseorang telah melakukan ribuan dosa, kemudian dia boleh menjadi tekun pada dharma; namun untuk menyeberangi lautan saṃsāra, lautan kewujudan duniawi, dia hanya mampu melakukannya dengan kesukaran yang amat besar.

Word by Word

• दुर्वासा: Durvāsā
• दुर्वासा: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्वासस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वकाल (prior action)

• पापसहस्राणि: thousands of sins
• पापसहस्राणि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• पश्चात्: afterwards
• पश्चात्: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चात् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time: 'afterwards')

• धर्मपरः: devoted to dharma
• धर्मपरः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्म + पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (for 'pumān')

• भवेत्: may become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• पुमान्: a man
• पुमान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुमांस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Correlative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• अतिकृच्छ्रेण: with extreme difficulty
• अतिकृच्छ्रेण: Karana (Manner/Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अति + कृच्छ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular); अव्ययीभाव-समास, क्रियाविशेषणार्थ (adverbial: 'with great difficulty')

• तरेत्: may cross
• तरेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तॄ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• संसारसागरम्: the ocean of worldly existence
• संसारसागरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संसार + सागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Durvāsā

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Unnamed petitioner (wealthy brāhmaṇa/householder figure in the episode)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Durvāsā, austere and radiant, delivers a stern yet compassionate teaching: even after thousands of sins, dharma is possible, but crossing saṃsāra is difficult.

Characters & Entities

• Durvāsā
• saṁsāra
• dharma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Late turning to dharma is possible, but heavy wrongdoing leaves deep karmic inertia, making liberation a difficult crossing without sustained prāyaścitta and right conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is doctrinal rather than geographical; no named tīrtha appears within the śloka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is named; the verse frames the need for serious remedial dharma after grave sin.