Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

अपरीक्षितभोजी स्याद्वानरो विजने वने । वितर्जकोऽथ मार्जारः खद्योतः कक्षदाहतः

Transliteration

aparīkṣitabhojī syādvānaro vijane vane | vitarjako'tha mārjāraḥ khadyotaḥ kakṣadāhataḥ

Translation

Wer ohne rechte Prüfung isst, wird zum Affen in einem einsamen Wald. Wer schmäht, wird zur Katze; und wer Gestrüpp in Brand setzt, wird zum Glühwürmchen.

Word by Word

• अपरीक्षितभोजी: one who eats without examining
• अपरीक्षितभोजी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अ-परि-ईक्षि-त + भोजिन् (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्ताधारित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—नञ्-तत्पुरुषः (अपरीक्षितः + भोजी)

• स्यात्: would become / should be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• वानरः: a monkey
• वानरः: Karta-predicative (Predicate nominative/कर्तृसम्बन्धी विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वानर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• विजने: in a lonely (place)
• विजने: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (वने)

• वने: in the forest
• वने: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• वितर्जकः: one who threatens/terrifies
• वितर्जकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वि-तर्ज् (धातु) + क (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्तरि-ण्वुल्/क-प्रत्ययान्तः (agent noun)

• अथ: then
• अथ: Discourse connector (सम्बन्धसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/समुच्चयार्थक (then/and)

• मार्जारः: a cat
• मार्जारः: Karta-predicative (Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मार्जार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• खद्योतः: a firefly
• खद्योतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: खद्योत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• कक्षदाहतः: (one afflicted with) burning in the armpit
• कक्षदाहतः: Karta-predicative (Predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कक्ष + दाह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कक्षस्य दाहः)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha sphere (contextual)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A moral tableau: a traveler about to eat without scrutiny, a figure hurling insults, and a careless fire spreading through dry brush; above them, symbolic transformations—monkey in a lonely forest, cat skulking, firefly flickering in scorched scrub.

Characters & Entities

• vana (forest)
• mārjāra (cat)
• khadyota (firefly)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Carelessness in food, cruelty in speech, and harm to nature are treated as dharma-violations that shape future birth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific sacred site is mentioned; the verse is part of a moral-karmic catalogue in Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the emphasis is on ethical restraint (mindful eating, non-abusive speech, and avoiding harm).