Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 58

Devanagari script

अतः शरीरसंत्यागं कुरु त्वं हव्यवाहने । नोचेत्तव न शुद्धिः स्यात्प्रायश्चित्तशतैरपि

Transliteration

ataḥ śarīrasaṃtyāgaṃ kuru tvaṃ havyavāhane | nocettava na śuddhiḥ syātprāyaścittaśatairapi

Translation

ดังนั้น จงสละร่างกายของท่านในกองไฟ มิฉะนั้น ท่านจะไม่บริสุทธิ์แม้จะทำการไถ่บาปนับร้อยครั้งก็ตาม

Word by Word

• अतः: therefore
• अतः: Sambandha (Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतुवाचक-अव्यय (therefore/for this reason)

• शरीरसंत्यागम्: abandonment of the body
• शरीरसंत्यागम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरीर-संत्याग (प्रातिपदिक; शरीर + संत्याग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2/कर्म), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (शरीरस्य संत्यागः)

• कुरु: do; perform
• कुरु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

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

• हव्यवाहने: O carrier of oblations (Agni)
• हव्यवाहने: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हव्य-वाहन (प्रातिपदिक; हव्य + वाहन)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (हव्यं वहति इति)

• नोचेत्: otherwise; if not
• नोचेत्: Sambandha (Condition marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न + उचेत् (अव्यय-प्रयोगः)
• Form: निषेध-शर्तबोधक-अव्यय (if not; otherwise)

• तव: for you; of you
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

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

• शुद्धिः: purification
• शुद्धिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/कर्ता), एकवचन

• स्यात्: would be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (potential/optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• प्रायश्चित्तशतैः: by hundreds of expiations
• प्रायश्चित्तशतैः: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रायश्चित्त-शत (प्रातिपदिक; प्रायश्चित्त + शत)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3/करण), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (प्रायश्चित्तानां शतानि)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थक-अव्यय (even/also)

Speaker

The sages (munis)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setukṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pāṇḍya king

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages pronounce a stark verdict: the king must relinquish his body into the sacrificial fire; Agni is envisioned as blazing, purifying, and inexorable.

Characters & Entities

• Agni (Havyavāhana)
• Pāṇḍya (king)
• Munis

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

For certain mahāpātakas, ordinary expiations are portrayed as insufficient; radical renunciation and surrender are emphasized.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Setu, where pilgrimage discourse frames purification and dharmic consequences.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śarīra-saṃtyāga in fire—self-sacrifice into Agni—as an expiation in this narrative context.