Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

न फालकृष्टे भूभागे न रथ्यासेव्यभूतले । नालोकयेद्दिशो भागञ्ज्यो तिश्चक्रं नभो मलम्

Transliteration

na phālakṛṣṭe bhūbhāge na rathyāsevyabhūtale | nālokayeddiśo bhāgañjyo tiścakraṃ nabho malam

Translation

Man soll sich nicht auf frisch gepflügtem Boden erleichtern, noch auf einem Grund, der als Weg begangen wird. Auch soll man dabei nicht zu den Himmelsrichtungen, zum Kreis der Gestirne, zum Himmel oder zu Unreinem blicken, um Schamhaftigkeit und rituelle Zucht zu wahren.

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• phāla-kṛṣṭe: in (a place) ploughed with a plough
• phāla-kṛṣṭe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: phāla (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛṣṭa (कृ धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त)
• Form: सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular), नपुंसकलिङ्गे/पुंलिङ्गे विशेषणरूपे (agreeing with bhūbhāge)

• bhū-bhāge: on the ground/land-portion
• bhū-bhāge: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū (प्रातिपदिक) + bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• na: nor/not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• rathyā-sevya-bhūtale: on ground frequented/used as a street
• rathyā-sevya-bhūtale: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rathyā (प्रातिपदिक) + sevya (सेव् धातोः यत्/ण्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त) + bhū-tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative/7th), एकवचन; समासः—(रथ्यायाः) सेव्यः भूतलः

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (sandhi in nālokayet)

• ālokayet: should look (at)
• ālokayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√lok (लोक् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपदम्

• diśaḥ: directions
• diśaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: diś (दिश् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd) बहुवचन (Plural) (कर्मरूपे)

• bhāgam: a portion/part
• bhāgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• jyotiḥ-cakram: circle of lights (luminaries)
• jyotiḥ-cakram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jyotis (ज्योतिस् प्रातिपदिक) + cakra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; समासः—ज्योतिषां चक्रम्

• nabhaḥ: sky
• nabhaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nabhas (नभस् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• malam: impurity/filth
• malam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

Speaker

Anonymous Purāṇic narrator (Dharmāraṇya instructional passage; speaker not explicit in the excerpt)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A restrained, didactic scene: a traveler/householder in a forest-edge or scrubland, avoiding ploughed furrows and a road, eyes lowered, with the sky and directions subtly indicated as sacred witnesses; emphasis on modest posture and dharmic discretion.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is upheld through mindful conduct and modesty; even bodily acts are regulated to protect purity and social order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it gives general dharma-śāstra style instructions within the Dharmāraṇya context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Avoid certain locations (ploughed land, roadways) and avoid looking toward directions/sky/luminaries while relieving oneself.