Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

शबलं प्रोच्यते सद्भिर्द्यूतचौर्येण साहसैः । व्याजेनोपार्जितं यच्च तत्कृष्णं समुदाहृतम्

Transliteration

śabalaṃ procyate sadbhirdyūtacauryeṇa sāhasaiḥ | vyājenopārjitaṃ yacca tatkṛṣṇaṃ samudāhṛtam

Translation

Die Rechtschaffenen nennen jenes Vermögen, das durch Glücksspiel, Diebstahl und gewaltsame oder tollkühne Taten erworben wird, „gemischt“ (śabala). Was jedoch durch trügerische Vorwände und Betrug erlangt ist, wird als „schwarz“ (unrein) bezeichnet.

Word by Word

• शबलम्: mixed, variegated
• शबलम्: Pratipādya (Predicate/प्रातिपाद्य)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शबल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (द्रव्यं) विशेषण

• प्रोच्यते: is called
• प्रोच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• सद्भिः: by the good (people)
• सद्भिः: Karana (Agent-instrument in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• द्यूतचौर्येण: by gambling and theft
• द्यूतचौर्येण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्यूत + चौर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्वन्द्व-समासः (द्यूतं च चौर्यं च)

• साहसैः: by acts of violence/robbery
• साहसैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साहस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• व्याजेन: by deceit, by pretext
• व्याजेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्याज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उपार्जितम्: earned, acquired
• उपार्जितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उप + अर्ज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (द्रव्यं) विशेषण

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय

• तत्: that
• तत्: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तद्-सम्बन्ध (correlative)

• कृष्णम्: black (impure)
• कृष्णम्: Pratipādya (Predicate/प्रातिपाद्य)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (द्रव्यं) विशेषण

• समुदाहृतम्: is declared, is stated
• समुदाहृतम्: Kriya-samāna (Predicate participle/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + उद् + आ + हृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि-भावः ‘कथितम्/उदाहृतम्’

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cautionary allegory: on one side, gamblers and thieves in shadowy tones; on the other, a figure offering a darkened coin-bag to a shrine while a sage raises a hand in prohibition; ‘black smoke’ symbolism around deceitful wealth.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Not all wealth is spiritually equivalent; deceitful and harmful earnings degrade one’s religious acts and lead to darker karmic results.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse gives a universal ethical classification relevant to Purāṇic dharma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It warns that dāna supported by fraud, theft, or gambling is spiritually compromised, and fraudulent gain is outright ‘black’ (kṛṣṇa).