Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

शक्तेनोपेक्षितो नीचो मन्यते बलमात्मनः । तस्मान्न नीचं मतिमानुषेक्षेत कथंचन

Transliteration

śaktenopekṣito nīco manyate balamātmanaḥ | tasmānna nīcaṃ matimānuṣekṣeta kathaṃcana

Translation

„Wird der Niedrige vom Starken übergangen, wähnt er Kraft in sich. Darum soll der Weise den Gemeinen niemals, auf keine Weise, unbeachtet lassen.“

Word by Word

• शक्तेन: by the powerful (person)
• शक्तेन: Karana (Agent/means in passive sense/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śakta (शक्त प्रातिपदिक; √śak क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त); पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (करण), एकवचन; ‘शक्तः’ = समर्थः (the capable one)

• उपेक्षितः: neglected/ignored
• उपेक्षितः: Karta (Predicate adjective of nīcaḥ/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: upa + √īkṣ (उप+ईक्ष् धातु; क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे भूतकर्मणि (having been neglected)

• नीचः: a low person
• नीचः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nīca (नीच प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन

• मन्यते: thinks/considers
• मन्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: man (मन् धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• बलम्: strength
• बलम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bala (बल प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• आत्मनः: of himself
• आत्मनः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (आत्मन् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Sambandha (Logical connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (तद् सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादानार्थक (ablatival adverb: therefore/from that)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• नीचम्: a low person
• नीचम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nīca (नीच प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन

• मतिमान्: a wise person
• मतिमान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: matimat (मतिमत् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन; गुणवाचक (the wise one)

• उपेक्षेत: should ignore/overlook
• उपेक्षेत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa + √īkṣ (उप+ईक्ष् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• कथंचन: in any way at all
• कथंचन: Sambandha (Adverbial modifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kathaṃcana (कथंचन अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक/निषेधबलवर्धक (adverb: in any way/at all)

Speaker

Indra (within Nārada’s narration)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Indra delivers a crisp aphorism; a symbolic vignette shows a small, dark figure (the ‘base man’) swelling with pride when left unchallenged, contrasted with the steady, luminous figure of the strong.

Characters & Entities

• Indra
• Viṣṇu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma requires alertness; tolerating or ignoring wrongdoing can embolden it.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None is mentioned; the passage is ethical instruction rather than sthala-māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.