Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 21
Devanagari script
चित्रोऽथ लिखते धर्मं सर्वं प्राणिसमुद्भवम् । विचित्रः पातकं सर्वं परमं यत्नमास्थितः
Transliteration
citro'tha likhate dharmaṃ sarvaṃ prāṇisamudbhavam | vicitraḥ pātakaṃ sarvaṃ paramaṃ yatnamāsthitaḥ
Translation
แล้วจิตราจารึกกรรมธรรมอันบังเกิดจากสรรพสัตว์ทั้งปวง; ส่วนวิจิตราด้วยความเพียรยิ่งยวด บันทึกบาปทั้งสิ้นไว้ครบถ้วน
Word by Word
चित्रःCitra
चित्रः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootचित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन
अथthen
अथ:
Sambandha (Discourse/सम्बन्ध)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअथ (अव्यय)
Formअनन्तरार्थक-निपात (particle: then/now)
लिखतेwrites/records
लिखते:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootलिख् (धातु)
Formलट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद
धर्मम्merit / righteousness
धर्मम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootधर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्म
सर्वम्all
सर्वम्:
Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootसर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; 'धर्मम्' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्
प्राणिसमुद्भवम्arising from living beings
प्राणिसमुद्भवम्:
Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootप्राणि-समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; 'धर्मम्' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्
विचित्रःVicitra
विचित्रः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootविचित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन
पातकम्sin
पातकम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootपातक (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्म
सर्वम्all
सर्वम्:
Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootसर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; 'पातकम्' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्
परमम्great / utmost
परमम्:
Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootपरम (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; 'यत्नम्' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्
यत्नम्effort
यत्नम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्म (आस्थितः इत्यस्य)
आस्थितःhaving undertaken / engaged in
आस्थितः:
Karta (Agent-state/कर्ता)
TypeVerb
Rootआ-स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
Formक्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; 'विचित्रः' इत्यस्य विशेषणरूपेण
Speaker
Bhīṣma (continued)
Visual Art Cues
Scene: In Yama’s court, two divine scribes—Citra and Vicitra—inscribe luminous deeds and dark sins onto palm-leaf ledgers; behind them a balance-scale motif and a river of time flows.
Characters & Entities
C
CitraV
VicitraFAQs
Both virtue and sin are treated as consequential; Dharma is not abstract but measurable in lived conduct.
No particular sacred site is mentioned in this verse.
None; the focus is on ethical record and karmic consequence.