Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

मार्गमांसपरित्यागान्नरकं न च पश्यति । शौकरस्य पीरत्यागाद्ब्रह्मवासमवाप्नुयात्

Transliteration

mārgamāṃsaparityāgānnarakaṃ na ca paśyati | śaukarasya pīratyāgādbrahmavāsamavāpnuyāt

Translation

అరణ్యమృగమాంసాన్ని పరిత్యజిస్తే మనిషి నరకాన్ని చూడడు. శూకరమాంసాన్ని త్యజిస్తే బ్రహ్మలోకవాసం పొందుతాడు.

Word by Word

• मार्गमांस-परित्यागात्: from abstaining from road-meat/carrion
• मार्गमांस-परित्यागात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्गमांस (प्रातिपदिक) + परित्याग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मार्गमांसस्य परित्यागः)

• नरकम्: hell
• नरकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

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

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• पश्यति: sees
• पश्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• शौकरस्य: of pork/boar-meat
• शौकरस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शौकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• पीर-त्यागात्: from giving up pīra (a specific item)
• पीर-त्यागात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पीर (प्रातिपदिक) + त्याग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पीरस्य त्यागः)

• ब्रह्मवासम्: dwelling with Brahman/Brahma-world abode
• ब्रह्मवासम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्म (प्रातिपदिक) + वास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्मणि/ब्रह्मलोकस्य वासः)

• अवाप्नुयात्: may attain
• अवाप्नुयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava + √आप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya instructional tone)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim refuses hunting meat; a hunter sets down weapons; a boar is spared; the devotee offers water and flowers at a shrine, with a luminous path rising upward symbolizing Brahmaloka and a dark abyss fading away symbolizing naraka avoided.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmaloka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Restraint from हिंसा-linked foods is praised as purifying karma and elevating one toward higher worlds.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is named; the verse emphasizes the moral-spiritual fruit of abstinence within the broader māhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Avoidance of game meat and boar meat as a vowed restraint.