Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

मलं मूत्रं पुरीषं च श्लेष्म निष्ठीनाश्रु च । गंडूषाश्चैव मुञ्चति ये ते ब्रह्महणैः समाः

Transliteration

malaṃ mūtraṃ purīṣaṃ ca śleṣma niṣṭhīnāśru ca | gaṃḍūṣāścaiva muñcati ye te brahmahaṇaiḥ samāḥ

Translation

যিসকলে এই পবিত্ৰ জলে মল, মূত্ৰ, পুৰীষ, শ্লেষ্মা, থু, অশ্ৰু আৰু গণ্ডূষ (মুখ ধোৱাৰ পানী) ত্যাগ কৰে—তেওঁলোকক ব্ৰাহ্মণহন্তাৰ সমান বুলি গণ্য কৰা হয়।

Word by Word

• malam: filth
• malam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter accusative singular)

• mūtram: urine
• mūtram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūtra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter accusative singular)

• purīṣam: feces
• purīṣam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: purīṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter accusative singular)

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

• śleṣma: phlegm
• śleṣma: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śleṣman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter accusative singular; stem śleṣman, form śleṣma)

• niṣṭhīna: spittle
• niṣṭhīna: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niṣṭhīvana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter accusative singular; spittle)

• aśru: tears
• aśru: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter accusative singular)

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

• gaṇḍūṣāḥ: mouthfuls (garglings)
• gaṇḍūṣāḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇḍūṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन (masculine accusative plural)

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

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle)

• muñcati: releases/lets out
• muñcati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √muc (मुच्) धातु
• Form: लट्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (present indicative, 3rd sg)

• ye: those who
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (masc nominative plural; relative pronoun)

• te: they/those
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (masc nominative plural; demonstrative)

• brahma-haṇaiḥ: with brahma-slayers
• brahma-haṇaiḥ: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahma-han (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (masc instrumental plural); तत्पुरुषः: brahmaṇaḥ hantāraḥ (slayers of a Brāhmaṇa)

• samāḥ: equal (to)
• samāḥ: Kriya (Predicate adjective/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (masc nominative plural)

Speaker

Suhṛdaya (quoting/introducing an authoritative maxim attributed to Brahmā)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stark moral tableau: sacred water with lotuses and devotees; in contrast, a transgressor pollutes the water and is shown shadowed by ominous karmic consequence, while a sage condemns the act.

Characters & Entities

• Suhṛdaya
• Brahmā (Padmabhū)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Polluting sacred water is a severe moral and ritual offense; tīrthas must be protected as living embodiments of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single site is named; the verse upholds the sanctity of all tīrthas and temple waters.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A strict prohibition: do not discharge bodily impurities or even mouth-rinsings into sacred waters reserved for worship or tīrtha use.