Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 79

Devanagari script

दुर्वासा उवाच । कृत्वा पापसहस्राणि पश्चाद्धर्मपरो भवेत् । यः पुमान्सोऽतिकृच्छ्रेण तरेत्संसारसागरम्

Transliteration

durvāsā uvāca | kṛtvā pāpasahasrāṇi paścāddharmaparo bhavet | yaḥ pumānso'tikṛcchreṇa taretsaṃsārasāgaram

Translation

دُروَاسا نے کہا: ہزاروں گناہ کر لینے کے بعد بھی انسان بعد میں دھرم کا پابند ہو سکتا ہے؛ مگر وہ سنسار کے سمندر کو بڑی سختی سے ہی پار کرتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• दुर्वासा: Durvāsā
• दुर्वासा: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्वासस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वकाल (prior action)

• पापसहस्राणि: thousands of sins
• पापसहस्राणि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• पश्चात्: afterwards
• पश्चात्: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चात् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time: 'afterwards')

• धर्मपरः: devoted to dharma
• धर्मपरः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: धर्म + पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (for 'pumān')

• भवेत्: may become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• पुमान्: a man
• पुमान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुमांस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Correlative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• अतिकृच्छ्रेण: with extreme difficulty
• अतिकृच्छ्रेण: Karana (Manner/Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अति + कृच्छ्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), तृतीया (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular); अव्ययीभाव-समास, क्रियाविशेषणार्थ (adverbial: 'with great difficulty')

• तरेत्: may cross
• तरेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: तॄ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• संसारसागरम्: the ocean of worldly existence
• संसारसागरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संसार + सागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Durvāsā

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Unnamed petitioner (wealthy brāhmaṇa/householder figure in the episode)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Durvāsā, austere and radiant, delivers a stern yet compassionate teaching: even after thousands of sins, dharma is possible, but crossing saṃsāra is difficult.

Characters & Entities

• Durvāsā
• saṁsāra
• dharma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Late turning to dharma is possible, but heavy wrongdoing leaves deep karmic inertia, making liberation a difficult crossing without sustained prāyaścitta and right conduct.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is doctrinal rather than geographical; no named tīrtha appears within the śloka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is named; the verse frames the need for serious remedial dharma after grave sin.