Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

सोऽपि सर्पत्वमापन्नः सनातनसुतो बटुः । दुःखशोकसमापन्नो ब्राह्मणैः परिवेष्टितः

Transliteration

so'pi sarpatvamāpannaḥ sanātanasuto baṭuḥ | duḥkhaśokasamāpanno brāhmaṇaiḥ pariveṣṭitaḥ

Translation

ସନାତନଙ୍କ ପୁତ୍ର ସେ ବଟୁ ମଧ୍ୟ ସର୍ପତ୍ୱକୁ ପ୍ରାପ୍ତ ହେଲା; ଦୁଃଖ ଓ ଶୋକରେ ଆକ୍ରାନ୍ତ ହୋଇ ବ୍ରାହ୍ମଣମାନଙ୍କ ଦ୍ୱାରା ପରିବେଷ୍ଟିତ ହୋଇ ଦଣ୍ଡାୟମାନ ରହିଲା।

Word by Word

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle) ‘also/even’

• sarpatvam: serpenthood
• sarpatvam: Karma (Object/कर्म) (state attained)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarpa (प्रातिपदिक) + -tva (तद्धित)
• Form: भाववाचक तद्धितान्त (abstract noun), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• āpannaḥ: having attained, fallen into
• āpannaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) (predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā-√pad (धातु) → āpanna (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; with sarpatvam (state reached)

• sanātana-sutaḥ: son of Sanātana
• sanātana-sutaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) (apposition to saḥ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sanātana (प्रातिपदिक) + suta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष ‘सनातनस्य सुतः’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• baṭuḥ: a young brahmacārin boy
• baṭuḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) (apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: baṭu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• duḥkha-śoka-samāpannaḥ: overcome by sorrow and grief
• duḥkha-śoka-samāpannaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) (predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक) + śoka (प्रातिपदिक) + samāpanna (कृदन्त)
• Form: समाहार/द्वन्द्व-पूर्वपद + तत्पुरुष: ‘दुःखशोकयोः समापन्नः’; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; predicate adjective

• brāhmaṇaiḥ: by brahmins
• brāhmaṇaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण) (agent/instrument in passive sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• pariveṣṭitaḥ: surrounded
• pariveṣṭitaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता) (predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pari-√veṣṭ (धातु) → pariveṣṭita (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; passive sense ‘surrounded’

Speaker

Narrator

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A young brahmacārin suddenly transformed into a serpent, coiled on the ground, while brāhmaṇas stand around in alarm and pity; the atmosphere is heavy with grief.

Characters & Entities

• Sanātana
• baṭu
• brāhmaṇas
• sarpatva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Actions that violate sacred decorum lead to painful results; remorse follows when dharma’s consequences become unavoidable.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse does not name the tīrtha; it contributes to the moral exemplum within the chapter’s tīrtha-māhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual act is prescribed; the verse presents the curse’s outcome and the community’s response.