Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

मित्रध्रुक्पिशुनः सोमविक्रयी परनिन्दकः । पितृमातृगुरुत्यागी नित्यं ब्राह्मणनिन्दकः

Transliteration

mitradhrukpiśunaḥ somavikrayī paranindakaḥ | pitṛmātṛgurutyāgī nityaṃ brāhmaṇanindakaḥ

Translation

«Der Verräter an Freunden; der Verleumder; der Soma-Verkäufer; der andere herabsetzt; der Vater, Mutter oder Lehrer verlässt; und wer fortwährend Brahmanen schmäht — (solche Menschen gelten als ungeeignet).»

Word by Word

• mitra-dhruk: betrayer of friends
• mitra-dhruk: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mitra (प्रातिपदिक) + dhruk (प्रातिपदिक; √druh धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (मित्रं द्रुह्यति इति = one who betrays friends)

• piśunaḥ: slanderer/informer
• piśunaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: piśuna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• soma-vikrayī: seller of soma
• soma-vikrayī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: soma (प्रातिपदिक) + vikrayin (प्रातिपदिक; √krī धातु with vi-)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (सोमं विक्रीणाति इति = seller of soma)

• para-nindakaḥ: critic of others
• para-nindakaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक) + nindaka (प्रातिपदिक; √nind धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (परस्य निन्दकः = one who censures others)

• pitṛ-mātṛ-guru-tyāgī: abandoner of father, mother, and teacher
• pitṛ-mātṛ-guru-tyāgī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + guru (प्रातिपदिक) + tyāgin (प्रातिपदिक; √tyaj धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; द्वन्द्व-पूर्वपदसमाहार + उपपद (पितरं मातरं गुरुं च त्यजति इति = one who abandons father, mother, and teacher)

• nityam: always
• nityam: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nityam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of time: always)

• brāhmaṇa-nindakaḥ: reviler of Brahmins
• brāhmaṇa-nindakaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + nindaka (प्रातिपदिक; √nind धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (ब्राह्मणस्य निन्दकः = reviler of Brahmins)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A moral court: the teacher enumerates vices—friend-betrayal, slander, soma-selling, habitual fault-finding, abandonment of parents/guru, and brāhmaṇa-reviling—shown as shadowy figures turning away from elders and scriptures.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara
• soma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Moral character—truthfulness, loyalty, reverence for elders and teachers—is integral to religious worthiness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is referenced in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It identifies behaviors that render a person unsuitable for ritual honor and receiving offerings in contexts like śrāddha.