Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

अश्वत्थे चरणं दत्त्वा ब्रह्महत्या प्रजायते । निष्कारणं संकुथित्वा नरके पच्यते ध्रुवम्

Transliteration

aśvatthe caraṇaṃ dattvā brahmahatyā prajāyate | niṣkāraṇaṃ saṃkuthitvā narake pacyate dhruvam

Translation

اشوتھ (پیپل) پر پاؤں رکھنا برہماہتیا کے برابر گناہ کا سبب بنتا ہے۔ اور جو بلا وجہ اسے زخمی کرے، وہ یقیناً دوزخ میں عذاب پاتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• अश्वत्थे: on/at the aśvattha tree
• अश्वत्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अश्वत्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• चरणम्: a foot/step
• चरणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• दत्त्वा: having placed/given
• दत्त्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial to main verb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय, absolutive)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय-भाव (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकाले (having done)

• ब्रह्महत्या: the sin of brahmin-slaying
• ब्रह्महत्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् + हत्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रजायते: arises, is produced
• प्रजायते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• निष्कारणम्: without cause, groundlessly
• निष्कारणम्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial accusative/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निः + कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (adjective) (अकारणम्)

• संकुथित्वा: having harmed/tormented (it)
• संकुथित्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial to main verb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + √कुथ् (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय-भाव (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकाले

• नरके: in hell
• नरके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पच्यते: is cooked/tormented
• पच्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• ध्रुवम्: certainly
• ध्रुवम्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ध्रुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable), क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

Speaker

Brahmā (deduced from 'Brahma–Nārada saṃvāda' colophon context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aśvattha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cautionary scene: a person about to place a foot on Aśvattha is stopped by elders; the tree is shown as a sanctum, while a shadowy vision of naraka warns against needless injury.

Characters & Entities

• Aśvattha (Pippala)
• Brahmahatyā
• Naraka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred presence demands reverence; harming or dishonoring what is worship-worthy becomes a grave dharmic transgression.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Aśvattha itself is treated as a sanctified locus; the warning protects the integrity of this living ‘tīrtha’.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A prohibition: do not step on or needlessly damage the Aśvattha.