Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 86

Devanagari script

भूताष्टम्योः पञ्चदश्योर्ब्रह्मचारी सदा भवेत् । अनायुष्यकरं चेह परदारोपसर्पणम् । तस्मात्तद्दूरतस्त्याज्य वैरिणां चोपसेवनम्

Transliteration

bhūtāṣṭamyoḥ pañcadaśyorbrahmacārī sadā bhavet | anāyuṣyakaraṃ ceha paradāropasarpaṇam | tasmāttaddūratastyājya vairiṇāṃ copasevanam

Translation

An Bhūtāṣṭamī und am fünfzehnten Tag (pañcadaśī) soll man stets fest im brahmacarya stehen. Denn hier bewirkt das Nahen zur Frau eines anderen den Verlust der Lebensdauer; darum ist es von weitem zu meiden, ebenso wie Umgang und Dienst an Feinden.

Word by Word

• भूताष्टम्योः: of (the days) Bhūtā and Aṣṭamī
• भूताष्टम्योः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूता + अष्टमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (समाहार-द्वन्द्व), षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), द्विवचन; द्वन्द्वः—भूता च अष्टमी च; तयोः ‘-yoḥ’ = genitive dual

• पञ्चदश्योः: of the two fifteenth days
• पञ्चदश्योः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चदशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), द्विवचन; ‘pañcadaśī’ = 15th lunar day; here dual (two 15ths: pūrṇimā/amāvāsyā)

• ब्रह्मचारी: a brahmacārin (celibate student)
• ब्रह्मचारी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मचारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; ‘brahmacārin’ = celibate student

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kaala (Temporal adverb/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: always)

• भवेत्: should be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd/प्रथम), एकवचन; धातु: भू (सत्तायाम्)

• अनायुष्यकरम्: life-shortening, harmful to longevity
• अनायुष्यकरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनायुṣ्य + कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः—अनायुṣ्यं करोति इति; विशेषणम् (of ‘paradāropasarpaṇam’)

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

• इह: here (in this world)
• इह: Desha (Locative adverb/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (deictic adverb: here/in this world)

• परदारोपसर्पणम्: approaching another’s wife
• परदारोपसर्पणम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर + दार + उपसर्पण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः—परस्य दाराः = परदाराः, तेषाम् उपसर्पणम् = परदारोपसर्पणम्

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तस्मात् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक: तद्)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगवत् निपात (indeclinable in sense: therefore/from that reason); मूलतः तद्-प्रातिपदिकस्य पञ्चमी-एकवचनरूपम्

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; ‘that’ (referring to the act)

• दूरतः: from far away
• दूरतः: Desha (Adverbial/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दूरतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: from afar/at a distance)

• त्याज्यम्: should be abandoned/avoided
• त्याज्यम्: Kriya (Predicative necessity/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्यय (gerundive) ‘-य’ (यत्/ण्यत्-भाव), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; धातु: त्यज् (परित्यागे); अर्थः ‘to be abandoned/should be avoided’

• वैरिणाम्: of enemies
• वैरिणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैरिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

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

• उपसेवनम्: association/attendance (on)
• उपसेवनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उप + सेव (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; धातु: सेव् (सेवायाम्) उपसर्ग: उप; कृत्-प्रत्यय: ल्युट् (action noun)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhūtāṣṭamī (observance day)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vow-taking scene: a youth ties a vow-knot, stands before a small fire and water-pot; in the shadows, a seductive figure and a hostile emissary are shown being turned away at a distance.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Self-restraint safeguards life and merit; immoral desire and hostile company drain vitality and dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse gives a vrata-like ethical discipline within the Dharmāraṇya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It prescribes brahmacarya observance on Bhūtāṣṭamī and pañcadaśī as a discipline of purity.