Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

न्यासापहारकाः पापास्तत्र बद्धाश्च बंधनैः । कृमिवृश्चिक कीटाद्यैर्भक्ष्यते द्विजसत्तम

Transliteration

nyāsāpahārakāḥ pāpāstatra baddhāśca baṃdhanaiḥ | kṛmivṛścika kīṭādyairbhakṣyate dvijasattama

Translation

اے افضلِ دِوِج! جو گنہگار امانت (نیاس) میں خیانت کر کے اسے ہڑپ کر لیتے ہیں، وہ وہاں زنجیروں میں جکڑے رہتے ہیں اور کیڑوں، بچھوؤں اور دیگر ڈنک مارنے والے حشرات کے ہاتھوں کھائے جاتے ہیں۔

Word by Word

• nyāsa-apahārakāḥ: deposit/pledge-stealers
• nyāsa-apahārakāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nyāsa (प्रातिपदिक) + apahāraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (nyāsasya apahārakāḥ)

• pāpāḥ: sinful
• pāpāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• baddhāḥ: bound
• baddhāḥ: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective/कर्मसमानाधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bandh (धातु) → baddha (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

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

• bandhanaiḥ: by bonds
• bandhanaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bandhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• kṛmi-vṛścika-kīṭa-ādyaiḥ: by worms, scorpions, insects, etc.
• kṛmi-vṛścika-kīṭa-ādyaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛmi (प्रातिपदिक) + vṛścika (प्रातिपदिक) + kīṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; द्वन्द्व-समास (समाहार/इतरेतर) + ādi-प्रत्ययार्थ (etc.)

• bhakṣyate: is eaten / is devoured
• bhakṣyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhakṣ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• dvija-sattama: O best of the twice-born
• dvija-sattama: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + sattama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (dvijānāṃ sattamaḥ)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Skanda Purāṇa narrative style in Māhātmya sections)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija-sattama (addressed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In Niyaṃtraka, deposit-thieves are chained; worms and scorpions swarm and bite, while Yama’s attendants point accusingly, underscoring betrayal of trust.

Characters & Entities

• dvija (addressed listener)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Breach of trust—stealing an entrusted deposit—is treated as a grave adharma that yields severe karmic consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse functions as moral instruction within the Tīrthamāhātmya; the snippet itself does not name a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific vrata, dāna, snāna, or japa is prescribed in this verse; it primarily states karmic retribution.