Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 118

Devanagari script

यत्पापं तु भवेत्तेषां निर्दयानां दुरात्मनाम् । तन्मे स्याद्यदि नो हन्मि सर्पं दृष्टिवशं गतम्

Transliteration

yatpāpaṃ tu bhavetteṣāṃ nirdayānāṃ durātmanām | tanme syādyadi no hanmi sarpaṃ dṛṣṭivaśaṃ gatam

Translation

บาปใดๆ ที่บังเกิดแก่คนผู้โหดร้ายและจิตใจชั่วนั้น—ขอให้ตกแก่ข้าพเจ้า หากข้าพเจ้าไม่สังหารงูที่อยู่ใต้อำนาจแห่งสายตาของข้าพเจ้า

Word by Word

• 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 (Predicate-noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेष-निर्देशक अव्यय (but/indeed)

• भवेत्: might be / would arise
• भवेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• तेषाम्: of them
• तेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• निर्दयानाम्: of the merciless
• निर्दयानाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्दय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; तेषाम्-विशेषण (qualifier of 'teṣām')

• दुरात्मनाम्: of the wicked-souled
• दुरात्मनाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर् + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (दुरात्मन् = 'evil-souled'); षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन, पुंलिङ्ग; तेषाम्-विशेषण

• 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: Final imprecation: the speaker declares that whatever sin belongs to merciless, wicked people should fall on him if he does not kill the serpent subdued by his gaze. The moment is climactic—weapon raised, yet face controlled, intent protective not hateful.

Characters & Entities

• Sūta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It portrays the binding force of a vow (saṅkalpa), where the speaker stakes his moral fate on completing a declared action.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not named in this verse; the tīrtha framework is contextual to the chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a continuation of the vow language.