Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 115

Devanagari script

नित्यं प्रेषणकर्तॄणां यत्पापं मधुजीविनाम् । तन्मे स्याद्यदि नो हन्मि सर्पं दृष्टिवशं गतम्

Transliteration

nityaṃ preṣaṇakartṝṇāṃ yatpāpaṃ madhujīvinām | tanme syādyadi no hanmi sarpaṃ dṛṣṭivaśaṃ gatam

Translation

ขอให้บาปของผู้ที่คอยใช้ผู้อื่นไปทำธุระอยู่เสมอ และของผู้ดำรงชีพด้วยน้ำผึ้ง ตกแก่ข้าพเจ้า—หากข้าพเจ้าไม่สังหารงูที่อยู่ใต้อำนาจแห่งสายตาของข้าพเจ้า

Word by Word

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण-रूपेण नपुंसक-एकवचन-द्वितीया (adverbial accusative)

• प्रेषणकर्तॄणाम्: of those who send/dispatch (agents)
• प्रेषणकर्तॄणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रेषणकर्ता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine)

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

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

• मधुजीविनाम्: of those who live by honey (honey-sellers/collectors)
• मधुजीविनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधु + जीविन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (उपपद: मधु-जीविन् = 'living by honey'); षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन, पुंलिङ्ग

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• दृष्टिवशम्: under the control of sight
• दृष्टिवशम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृष्टि + वश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्पम्-विशेषण

• गतम्: gone/come
• गतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गम् (धातु) + क्त
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्पम्-विशेषण

Speaker

Unspecified narrator within Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrtha-māhātmya (deductively: Sūta relating a tale/dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The speaker reiterates the vow: if he fails to kill the gaze-subdued serpent, he accepts the sins of those who habitually dispatch others on errands and those who live by honey. The serpent remains pinned by an unwavering stare.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It frames a fierce vow where the speaker threatens to accept grave sins upon himself unless he acts—showing how intention (saṅkalpa) and moral responsibility are dramatized in Purāṇic ethics.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse occurs within the Nāgara-khaṇḍa’s Tīrtha-māhātmya setting, but this single shloka does not name a specific tīrtha explicitly.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite (snāna, dāna, japa) is prescribed here; it is a vow-like conditional statement tied to an intended act.