Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

अभोज्यः स भवेन्मर्त्यो दह्यते कारिषाग्निना । कटकारो भवेत्पश्चात्सप्त जन्म न संशयः

Transliteration

abhojyaḥ sa bhavenmartyo dahyate kāriṣāgninā | kaṭakāro bhavetpaścātsapta janma na saṃśayaḥ

Translation

Ein solcher Mensch wird unwert, gespeist zu werden; er wird vom Feuer des Dungs verbrannt — ein erniedrigendes Los. Danach wird er, ohne Zweifel, sieben Geburten lang zum Flechter von Matten oder Körben.

Word by Word

• अभोज्यः: unfit to be fed; untouchable for dining
• अभोज्यः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ + भोज्य (प्रातिपदिक; √भुज् ण्यत्/यत्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; नञ्-समास/निषेधार्थ-उपसर्गयुक्त; विशेषण (मर्त्यः)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; निर्देशवाचक

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

• मर्त्यः: a mortal/man
• मर्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• दह्यते: is burned
• दह्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive sense)

• कारिषाग्निना: by a dung-fire
• कारिषाग्निना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारिषाग्नि (प्रातिपदिक; कारिष + अग्नि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (कारिषः अग्निः = dung-fire)

• कटकारः: a maker of mats/baskets (kaṭakāra)
• कटकारः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कटकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• पश्चात्: afterwards
• पश्चात्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चात् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: afterwards)

• सप्त: seven
• सप्त: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक; अव्ययवत्/अविकारी; विशेषण (जन्म)

• जन्म: births
• जन्म: Karma (Extent/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (अवधि/कालपरिमाणार्थे)

• न: not/no
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negation particle)

• संशयः: doubt
• संशयः: Karta (Predicate-noun/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संशय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; नास्ति-इति अर्थे (idiom: no doubt)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (deduced from immediate context of dialogue in Revā Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā tīrtha (contextual)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A fallen ritualist is shunned at a communal meal (abhōjya); a grim allegory shows him scorched by a ‘dung-fire’ (kāriṣāgni) in a symbolic underworld scene; subsequent panel shows him weaving mats/baskets repeatedly across lifetimes.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Adharmic conduct around gifts and livelihood leads to loss of purity/eligibility and long-term karmic degradation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse continues a dharma warning within the Revā Khaṇḍa setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implied social-ritual rule: one who commits the censured act becomes abhojya (not a proper recipient/participant in feeding rites).