Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 109

Devanagari script

वृक्षच्छेद प्रसक्तानां यत्पापं शल्यकारिणाम् । तन्मे स्याद्यदि नो हन्मि सर्पं दृष्टिवशं गतम्

Transliteration

vṛkṣaccheda prasaktānāṃ yatpāpaṃ śalyakāriṇām | tanme syādyadi no hanmi sarpaṃ dṛṣṭivaśaṃ gatam

Translation

หากข้าพเจ้าไม่ฟันสังหารนาคที่ตกอยู่ใต้อำนาจสายตาของข้าพเจ้าแล้วไซร้ บาปของผู้หมกมุ่นตัดต้นไม้ และของผู้ก่อบาดแผลดุจหนามหรือหอก จงตกแก่ข้าพเจ้าเถิด

Word by Word

• वृक्षच्छेद: cutting of trees
• वृक्षच्छेद: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + छेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (समासपद; वृक्षस्य छेदः = वृक्षच्छेदः)

• प्रसक्तानाम्: of those addicted/engaged
• प्रसक्तानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रसक्त (कृदन्त; √सञ्ज्/सज् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त विशेषण (engaged/addicted)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• शल्यकारिणाम्: of those who cause injury/pain
• शल्यकारिणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शल्य (प्रातिपदिक) + कारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन; (शल्यं करोति इति शल्यकारी)

• तत्: that (sin)
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• मे: of me / to me
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन (enclitic)

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

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्धबोधक-अव्यय (conditional particle)

• न: not
• न: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Negator/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• हन्मि: I kill
• हन्मि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √हन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सर्पम्: snake
• सर्पम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• दृष्टिवशम्: under (my) gaze/control
• दृष्टिवशम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृष्टि (प्रातिपदिक) + वश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (दृष्टेः वशः = दृष्टिवशः)

• गतम्: come/entered (into that state)
• गतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गतम् (कृदन्त; √गम् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (gone/come)

Speaker

Unspecified (Nāgarakhaṇḍa, Tīrthamāhātmya narrative voice; likely a vow-like utterance within the tīrtha episode)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dharmic hero stands at a sacred grove-edge near a tīrtha, eyes fixed; a serpent lies immobilized ‘under the power of his gaze’ as he utters a fierce vow invoking sins of tree-cutters and injurers upon himself if he fails to strike.

Characters & Entities

• vṛkṣa (tree)
• sarpa (serpent)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It treats needless harm—especially toward living beings and trees—as heavy wrongdoing, and uses that scale to intensify the urgency of righteous action.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is within Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya (Adhyāya 29); the tīrtha name is not included in the snippet.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is ethical and narrative rather than procedural.