Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

तत्किं विषं प्रयच्छामि शस्त्रैर्व्यापादयामि किम् । दिवापि पशुमारेण पंचत्वं वा नयामि किम्

Transliteration

tatkiṃ viṣaṃ prayacchāmi śastrairvyāpādayāmi kim | divāpi paśumāreṇa paṃcatvaṃ vā nayāmi kim

Translation

ดังนั้น ข้าควรวางยาพิษเขาดีหรือไม่? หรือควรสังหารเขาด้วยอาวุธ? หรือแม้แต่ในเวลากลางวัน ข้าควรฆ่าเขาให้ตายด้วยวิธีการที่โหดร้ายเหมือนฆ่าสัตว์ดีไหม?

Word by Word

• tat: that (this act/thing)
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• kim: what?
• kim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम (interrogative pronoun)

• viṣam: poison
• viṣam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• prayacchāmi: do I give/offer
• prayacchāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√yam (धातु; यम्)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• śastraiḥ: with weapons
• śastraiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śastra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), बहुवचन

• vyāpādayāmi: do I kill/slay
• vyāpādayāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-ā-√pad (धातु; पद्) (णिच् causative)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच् (causative)

• kim: what?
• kim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• divā: by day
• divā: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: divā (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• api: even/also
• api: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि (also/even)

• paśumāreṇa: by killing animals
• paśumāreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paśu-māra (प्रातिपदिक; paśu + māra)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (paśūnām māraḥ)

• paṃcatvam: the state of being five (death)
• paṃcatvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paṃcatva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक निपात (disjunctive particle)

• nayāmi: do I lead/bring (to)
• nayāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √nī (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• kim: what?
• kim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd case), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

Speaker

Narrator quoting the schemer’s inner speech (contextual)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The antagonist’s mind turns dark: imagined vials of poison, a drawn weapon, and a lurking hired killer appear as ghostly thought-forms around him, while the serene maṭha stands in the background.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse exposes the escalating logic of adharma—violent intent multiplies sin and leads away from merit and liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified in this verse; it is part of a moral narrative within the Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; rather, it implicitly condemns harmful acts that violate dharma.