Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणा वंचिता यस्माद्ब्राह्मणैस्त्वं हनिष्यसे । एवमुक्त्वा भगवती पुनराह न किञ्चन

Transliteration

brāhmaṇā vaṃcitā yasmādbrāhmaṇaistvaṃ haniṣyase | evamuktvā bhagavatī punarāha na kiñcana

Translation

ब्राह्मणाः वञ्चिताः यस्मात्, तस्मात् ब्राह्मणैः त्वं हनिष्यसे इति। एवम् उक्त्वा भगवती पुनः न किञ्चिद् अब्रवीत्।

Word by Word

• brāhmaṇāḥ: brāhmaṇas
• brāhmaṇāḥ: Kartṛ (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• vaṃcitāḥ: deceived
• vaṃcitāḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa / Predicative (Deceived)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vañc (धातु) + vaṃcita (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त/PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; विधेय

• yasmāt: because/since
• yasmāt: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/ablative), एकवचन

• brāhmaṇaiḥ: by brāhmaṇas
• brāhmaṇaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन

• tvam: you
• tvam: Kartṛ (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• haniṣyase: you will be killed
• haniṣyase: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √han (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (भविष्यत्/future), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि/कर्तरि-भावः (you will be slain / will perish)

• evam: thus
• evam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb; प्रकार)

• uktvā: having said
• uktvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √vac (धातु) + uktvā (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त्वा/absolutive), अव्ययभाव

• bhagavatī: the Goddess
• bhagavatī: Kartṛ (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhagavatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• punar: again
• punar: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punar (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb)

• āha: said
• āha: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ah (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

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

• kiñcana: anything (nothing)
• kiñcana: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kiñcana (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम; न + किञ्चन = 'nothing'

Speaker

Devī (Pārvatī/Umā)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A fierce yet composed Devī pronounces a terse curse-like verdict; the atmosphere is tense, with silence after the utterance.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Brāhmaṇas
• Śiva (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Deception invites karmic reversal; harm done to the righteous returns as consequence, restoring moral order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not named in this verse; it belongs to a larger tīrtha-glorification chapter in Nāgarakhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a moral-judicial statement within the narrative.