Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

ब्रह्महत्या भविष्यन्ति बह्व्यस्ते वसुधाधिप । सकुटुम्बस्य मे त्वं हि मृत्युरेष उपस्थितः

Transliteration

brahmahatyā bhaviṣyanti bahvyaste vasudhādhipa | sakuṭumbasya me tvaṃ hi mṛtyureṣa upasthitaḥ

Translation

โอ้เจ้าแห่งแผ่นดิน บาปพราหมณ์ฆาต (พรหมหัตยา) มากมายนักจักตกแก่เจ้า; สำหรับตระกูลของข้า เจ้าปรากฏ ณ ที่นี้ดุจความตายเอง

Word by Word

• ब्रह्महत्याः: brahmin-slaughters (sins of brahmahatyā)
• ब्रह्महत्याः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + हत्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: ब्रह्मणः हत्या इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• भविष्यन्ति: will be / will occur
• भविष्यन्ति: Kriyā (Main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• बह्व्यः: many
• बह्व्यः: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

• ते: for you / of you
• ते: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; संबन्धे (for you/of you)

• वसुधाधिप: O lord of the earth (king)
• वसुधाधिप: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसुधा (प्रातिपदिक) + अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: वसुधायाः अधिपः इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष; पुल्लिङ्ग, संबोधन, एकवचन

• सकुटुम्बस्य: of (me) together with (my) family
• सकुटुम्बस्य: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Possessor qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (अव्यय-उपसर्गार्थ) + कुटुम्ब (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सह कुटुम्बेन इति सहार्थे अव्ययीभाव; पुल्लिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग-सम्बन्धे षष्ठी, एकवचन; अत्र ‘मे’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• मे: my
• मे: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक निपात

• मृत्युः: death
• मृत्युः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa/Predicate noun
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय (predicate nominative)

• एषः: this
• एषः: Karta (Apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; निर्देशार्थक सर्वनाम

• उपस्थितः: present, arrived
• उपस्थितः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa/Predicate adjective
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उप + स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त; पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेयविशेषणम्

Speaker

Dīrghatapā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) context

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The sage pronounces the doom of brahmahatyā upon the king; the king’s face pales, attendants whisper; the scene feels like a courtroom of dharma under an unseen cosmic witness.

Characters & Entities

• Dīrghatapā
• Citrasena (addressed as vasudhādhipa)
• Brahmahatyā
• Mṛtyu (Death)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Royal power must be governed by dharma; violence against the innocent brings heavy demerit (pāpa) and social-spiritual ruin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not explicitly; the Revā Khaṇḍa setting provides the sacred backdrop.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed here; it is a statement of karmic consequence.