Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 77

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मण्याद्धीयते विप्रः शूद्रो धर्माच्च हीयते । धर्मोपदेशः शूद्राणां स्वश्रेयः प्रतिघातयेत्

Transliteration

brāhmaṇyāddhīyate vipraḥ śūdro dharmācca hīyate | dharmopadeśaḥ śūdrāṇāṃ svaśreyaḥ pratighātayet

Translation

يضعف الـvipra إذا انحرف عن البراهمنية، أي سلوك البراهمن القويم، ويضعف الشودرا إذا فارق دهرماه. ويُقال إنّ تعليم الشودرا الدهرما يَحُول دون خير المرء الروحي لنفسه.

Word by Word

• ब्राह्मण्यात्: from Brahminhood
• ब्राह्मण्यात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neut.), पञ्चमी (5th case), एकवचन (sing.)

• हीयते: declines / is diminished
• हीयते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (sing.); आत्मनेपदम्

• विप्रः: a Brahmin
• विप्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masc.), प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (sing.)

• शूद्रः: a Shudra
• शूद्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masc.), प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (sing.)

• धर्मात्: from dharma
• धर्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masc.), पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन (sing.)

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• हीयते: declines / is diminished
• हीयते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (sing.); आत्मनेपदम्

• धर्मोपदेशः: instruction in dharma
• धर्मोपदेशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + उपदेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masc.), प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (sing.); (धर्मस्य उपदेशः)

• शूद्राणाम्: of Shudras
• शूद्राणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masc.), षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन (pl.)

• स्वश्रेयः: one's own welfare
• स्वश्रेयः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neut.), प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (sing.); (स्वस्य श्रेयः)

• प्रतिघातयेत्: would obstruct / should hinder
• प्रतिघातयेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति+घातय् (धातु; घात् causative)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधि), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (sing.); परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Unknown (Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa instructional narration; speaker not explicit in snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A guru addresses a student with a manuscript on dharma; behind them, figures representing different social roles perform their duties; the composition emphasizes ‘svadharma’ as ordered harmony, with a serious, instructional tone.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Each person is urged to remain steady in their prescribed duties; the verse frames spiritual stability as arising from adherence to one’s traditional dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is referenced; the focus is normative dharma teaching.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A restriction concerning dharma instruction to Śūdras, presented as a rule of conduct within this section.