Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 114

Devanagari script

आखेटकरतानां च यत्पापं पाशदायिनाम् । तन्मे स्याद्यदि नो हन्मि सर्पं दृष्टिवशं गतम्

Transliteration

ākheṭakaratānāṃ ca yatpāpaṃ pāśadāyinām | tanme syādyadi no hanmi sarpaṃ dṛṣṭivaśaṃ gatam

Translation

ขอให้บาปของผู้ล่าสัตว์ และของผู้วางบ่วงและพันธนาการ ตกแก่ข้าพเจ้า—หากข้าพเจ้าไม่ฟาดฟันงูที่ตกอยู่ใต้อำนาจแห่งสายตาของข้าพเจ้า

Word by Word

• आखेटकरतानाम्: of hunters (those engaged in hunting)
• आखेटकरतानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आखेटकरता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• यत्: whatever/that which
• यत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); सम्बन्धक (correlative)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma/Predicative (Object/Predicate-noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• पाशदायिनाम्: of those who give snares/ropes
• पाशदायिनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाशदायिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine)

• तत्: that (sin)
• तत्: Pratijñā/Anuvāda (Correlative/अनुवाद)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• मे: to me / mine
• मे: Sampradana/Sambandha (to me/of me)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• स्यात्: would be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

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

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

• हन्मि: I kill
• हन्मि: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन (Singular)

• सर्पम्: a snake
• सर्पम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• दृष्टिवशम्: gone under (my) gaze/control of sight
• दृष्टिवशम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृष्टि + वश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive determinative: 'under the control of sight'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); सर्पम्-विशेषण (qualifier of 'sarpa')

• गतम्: gone, having come
• गतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम् (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); सर्पम्-विशेषण

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 protector stands poised, eyes fixed; a serpent lies immobilized as if bound by gaze. The speaker utters a fierce vow, invoking the sins of hunters and snare-setters upon himself if he fails to strike.

Characters & Entities

• sarpa (serpent)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It marks predatory harm—hunting and trapping—as spiritually blameworthy, and uses that gravity to stress the imperative of decisive dharmic action in context.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This belongs to the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya (Adhyāya 29); the specific tīrtha is not identified in this excerpt.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual practice is prescribed in this verse.