Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

यम उवाच । असंख्या नरका विप्र यथा प्राणिगणाः क्षितौ । कृत्स्नशः कथितुं शक्या नैववर्षशतैरपि

Transliteration

yama uvāca | asaṃkhyā narakā vipra yathā prāṇigaṇāḥ kṣitau | kṛtsnaśaḥ kathituṃ śakyā naivavarṣaśatairapi

Translation

Яма сказал: «Адских миров бесчисленно много, о брахман, как бесчисленны живые существа на земле. Их невозможно поведать полностью даже за сотни лет».

Word by Word

• यमः: Yama
• यमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• असंख्याः: countless
• असंख्याः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: asaṃkhyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying ‘नरकाः’)

• नरकाः: hells
• नरकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• विप्र: O brāhmaṇa
• विप्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• यथा: as, just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparator/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/तुलनार्थक (comparative/‘as’)

• प्राणिगणाः: groups of living beings
• प्राणिगणाः: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāṇin-gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (प्राणिनां गणाः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• क्षितौ: on earth
• क्षितौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣiti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• कृत्स्नशः: completely, in full
• कृत्स्नशः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kṛtsnaśas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: wholly)

• कथितुम्: to describe/tell
• कथितुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु) + तुमुन् (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त infinitive; अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (indeclinable verbal)

• शक्याः: possible
• शक्याः: Kriya-visheshana (Predicate qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शक्य (प्रातिपदिक; शक् धातोः यत्/ण्यत्-निष्पन्न)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicative: ‘possible’)

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• एव: indeed, even
• एव: Avadharana (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphasis)

• वर्षशतैः: by hundreds of years
• वर्षशतैः: Karana (Instrument/means: by hundreds of years/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varṣa-śata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास (शतं वर्षाणि); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

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

Speaker

Yama (Dharmarāja)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇa

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Yama speaks with measured authority, gesturing to an endless horizon of shadowy realms—suggesting innumerable hells like countless beings on earth; the brāhmaṇa listens, humbled by the scale.

Characters & Entities

• Yama
• Naraka
• Brāhmaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Karmic outcomes are vast and varied; the tradition stresses ethical vigilance rather than curiosity alone.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it frames the scope of the teaching.