Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

कनकेन युता येन तिलादत्तास्तु शूद्रज । ब्रह्महत्यादिपापानां विनाशस्तेन वै कृतः

Transliteration

kanakena yutā yena tilādattāstu śūdraja | brahmahatyādipāpānāṃ vināśastena vai kṛtaḥ

Translation

कनकेन सह येन तिलाः प्रदत्ताः, हे शूद्रज, तेन ब्रह्महत्यादिपापानां विनाशो निश्चयेन कृतः॥

Word by Word

• कनकेन: with gold
• कनकेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कनक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• युताः: combined, accompanied
• युताः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Qualifier/कर्तृसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √युज् (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; ‘endowed/combined’

• येन: by which/with which
• येन: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; सम्बन्धे (relative pronoun)

• तिला: sesame seeds
• तिला: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; छन्दसि/पदपाठे ‘तिला’ = ‘तिलाः’

• दत्ताः: given
• दत्ताः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate participle/कर्तृसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; ‘given’

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अन्वयार्थक-निपात (particle: ‘but/indeed’)

• शूद्रज: O son of a Śūdra
• शूद्रज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूद्रज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• ब्रह्महत्यादिपापानाम्: of sins such as brahma-murder
• ब्रह्महत्यादिपापानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्महत्या (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; समाहार/समुच्चयार्थः—‘ब्रह्महत्यादीनि पापानि’

• विनाशः: destruction
• विनाशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विनाश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• तेन: by that (act/means)
• तेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• कृतः: is effected/done
• कृतः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘done/caused’

Speaker

Unspecified (Tīrthamāhātmya narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa; likely a Purāṇic narrator addressing a listener)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Addressed as ‘śūdraja’ (son of a Śūdra) within the narrative frame; indicates inclusive instruction to the listener.

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A donor offers sesame in one hand and a small gold ornament/coin in the other to a seated priest; a dark cloud of sin disperses into light.

Characters & Entities

• Tila (sesame)
• Kanaka (gold)
• Brahmahatyā
• Śūdraja (addressee)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere, tradition-backed charity—especially combining sacred substances—can function as prāyaścitta (atonement) even for grave wrongdoing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha is specified in this verse; it emphasizes the expiatory power of a particular form of dāna.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Donate sesame together with gold as a powerful expiation intended to destroy major sins.