Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

ब्रह्महत्यादिपापानां पुराणेषु स्मृतिष्वपि । प्रायश्चित्तानि दृष्टानि न शिवद्रव्यहारिणाम्

Transliteration

brahmahatyādipāpānāṃ purāṇeṣu smṛtiṣvapi | prāyaścittāni dṛṣṭāni na śivadravyahāriṇām

Translation

ਬ੍ਰਹਮਹਤਿਆ ਆਦਿ ਪਾਪਾਂ ਲਈ ਪੁਰਾਣਾਂ ਅਤੇ ਸਮ੍ਰਿਤੀਆਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਪ੍ਰਾਯਸ਼ਚਿੱਤ ਦਿੱਸਦੇ ਹਨ; ਪਰ ਜੋ ਸ਼ਿਵ ਦੇ ਦ੍ਰਵ੍ਯ ਨੂੰ ਚੁਰਾਉਂਦੇ ਹਨ, ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਲਈ ਕੋਈ ਪ੍ਰਾਯਸ਼ਚਿੱਤ ਨਹੀਂ ਮਿਲਦਾ।

Word by Word

• ब्रह्महत्यादिपापानाम्: of sins such as brahma-murder
• ब्रह्महत्यादिपापानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्महत्या (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (ब्रह्महत्या-आदि-रूपाणि पापानि)

• पुराणेषु: in the Purāṇas
• पुराणेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुराण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), बहुवचन

• स्मृतिषु: in the Smṛtis
• स्मृतिषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्मृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), बहुवचन

• अपि: also/even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-कार (also/even)

• प्रायश्चित्तानि: expiations
• प्रायश्चित्तानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रायश्चित्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), बहुवचन

• दृष्टानि: are found/are prescribed
• दृष्टानि: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दृश् (धातु) + त (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘seen/prescribed’

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• शिवद्रव्यहारिणाम्: of those who steal Śiva’s property
• शिवद्रव्यहारिणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक) + द्रव्य (प्रातिपदिक) + √हृ (धातु) + णिनि (कृत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (शिवस्य द्रव्यं हरन्ति ये)

Speaker

Narratorial voice within Brahmottarakhaṇḍa (speaker not explicit in the snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A manuscript-like tableau: Purāṇas and Smṛtis symbolically shown (palm-leaf bundles) beside a Śiva shrine; the speaker indicates that expiations exist for many sins but not for Śiva-dravya theft.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Purāṇa
• Smṛti
• Brahmahatyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred trust is central to dharma: violating Śiva’s endowments is treated as beyond ordinary atonement.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is referenced; the teaching applies broadly to Śiva temples and offerings.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A doctrinal claim about prāyaścitta: expiations exist for many sins, but not for stealing Śiva’s property.