Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

प्रायश्चित्तैर्यथोक्तैश्च कर्मजं पातकं व्रजेत् । धर्मशास्त्रैः परिप्रोक्तं यतः सर्वैर्महामुने

Transliteration

prāyaścittairyathoktaiśca karmajaṃ pātakaṃ vrajet | dharmaśāstraiḥ pariproktaṃ yataḥ sarvairmahāmune

Translation

لیکن عمل سے پیدا ہونے والا گناہ مقررہ کفّاروں سے دور ہوتا ہے، جیسا کہ تمام دھرم شاستروں میں تفصیل سے بتایا گیا ہے، اے عظیم رشی۔

Word by Word

• prāyaścittaiḥ: by expiations
• prāyaścittaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāyaścitta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; करण (by expiations)

• yathoktaiḥ: as prescribed
• yathoktaiḥ: Karana (Instrument qualifier/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yathā + ukta (कृदन्त; √vac)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (as stated/prescribed)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• karmajam: deed-born
• karmajam: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: karma + ja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (arising from action)

• pātakam: sin/offence
• pātakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• vrajet: should depart/be removed
• vrajet: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vraj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• dharmaśāstraiḥ: by dharma-śāstras
• dharmaśāstraiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma + śāstra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; करण (by dharma-texts)

• pariproktaṃ: has been fully declared
• pariproktaṃ: Kriya (Predicative participle/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari + pra + vac (धातु) → prokta (क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘fully proclaimed’

• yataḥ: because
• yataḥ: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yataḥ (अव्यय; yad)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थक (causal conjunction: because)

• sarvaiḥ: by all
• sarvaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (by all)

• mahāmune: O great sage
• mahāmune: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; ‘O great sage’

Speaker

Kāma (Kāmadeva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: mahāmuni (great sage)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A great sage is addressed: action-born sin is removed by prescribed expiations, as taught across Dharmaśāstras—depict a teacher pointing to palm-leaf texts while instructing a penitent.

Characters & Entities

• prāyaścitta
• Dharmaśāstra
• mahāmune

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Deeds require disciplined correction: bodily wrongdoing is purified through prāyaścitta aligned with Dharmaśāstra.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it provides dharmic doctrine within the Tīrthamāhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Prāyaścitta (prescribed penances/expiations) for karmaja (action-born) pātaka.