Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

गुरुदाराभिलाषी च कृकलासो भवेच्चिरम् । जलप्रस्रवणं यस्तु भिन्द्यान्मत्स्यो भवेन्नरः

Transliteration

gurudārābhilāṣī ca kṛkalāso bhavecciram | jalaprasravaṇaṃ yastu bhindyānmatsyo bhavennaraḥ

Translation

Wer nach der Gattin des Guru begehrt, wird lange Zeit zur Eidechse. Und der Mensch, der einen Wasserabfluss oder Auslass zerbricht, wird als Fisch wiedergeboren.

Word by Word

• गुरुदाराभिलाषी: one who desires the wife of his teacher
• गुरुदाराभिलाषी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु + दारा + अभिलाषिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गुरोः दारान् अभिलाषते इति)

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

• कृकलासः: lizard
• कृकलासः: Karya/Phala (Result/फल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृकलास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• चिरम्: for a long time
• चिरम्: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चिरम् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• जलप्रस्रवणम्: water-outlet/drain
• जलप्रस्रवणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल + प्रस्रवण (प्रातिपदिक; √स्रु (धातु) + ल्युट्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जलस्य प्रस्रवणम्)

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (relative pronoun)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषणार्थक-अव्यय (particle: but/indeed)

• भिन्द्यात्: should break/pierce
• भिन्द्यात्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भिद् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• मत्स्यः: fish
• मत्स्यः: Karya/Phala (Result/फल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत्स्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• नरः: man/person
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) milieu (contextual)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two-part moral scene: (1) a student casting a lustful glance toward the guru’s wife, with a lizard motif indicating future rebirth; (2) a man breaking a water spout/sluice at a tank or canal, with fish imagery emerging from his shadow.

Characters & Entities

• guru
• dārā (wife)
• jala-prasravaṇa (water outlet)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reverence for the guru’s household and protection of communal water systems are treated as sacred duties; violating them causes degrading rebirth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned in the provided verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it enforces dharma through prohibitions—do not violate the guru’s household and do not damage water outlets.