Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

अभक्ष्यभक्षणं हिंसा मिथ्या कामस्य सेवनम् । परस्वानामुपादानं चतुर्धा कर्म कायिकम्

Transliteration

abhakṣyabhakṣaṇaṃ hiṃsā mithyā kāmasya sevanam | parasvānāmupādānaṃ caturdhā karma kāyikam

Translation

Körperliches Handeln ist vierfach: Verbotenes zu essen, Gewalt zu üben, sich unrechtmäßiger Begierde hinzugeben und fremdes Gut an sich zu nehmen.

Word by Word

• अभक्ष्यभक्षणम्: eating what is forbidden
• अभक्ष्यभक्षणम्: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Member of enumeration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अभक्ष्य + भक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—अभक्ष्यस्य भक्षणम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• हिंसा: violence
• हिंसा: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Member of enumeration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिंसा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मिथ्या: wrongly / illicitly
• मिथ्या: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मिथ्या (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण अव्यय (adverb)

• कामस्य: of desire (lust)
• कामस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• सेवनम्: indulgence / pursuit
• सेवनम्: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Member of enumeration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• परस्वानाम्: of others’ property
• परस्वानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर + स्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—परस्य स्वम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• उपादानम्: taking / appropriation
• उपादानम्: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Member of enumeration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उप + आ + दा (धातु) + अन (कृत्)
• Form: कृतन्त-भाववाचक (lyuṭ/अन-प्रत्ययार्थ), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• चतुर्धा: fourfold
• चतुर्धा: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चतुर् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + धा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb): ‘चार प्रकारेण’

• कर्म: action
• कर्म: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कायिकम्: bodily
• कायिकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कायिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कर्म)

Speaker

Mahākāla

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahākāla-kṣetra (Ujjayinī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Four bodily transgressions are shown as cautionary tableaux: forbidden food on a plate, a raised weapon (hiṃsā), a clandestine tryst (illicit desire), and a hand stealing coins—contrasted with a disciplined pilgrim carrying a water-pot and rudrākṣa.

Characters & Entities

• Mahākāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Physical misconduct—violence, theft, illicit indulgence, and forbidden consumption—constitutes grave adharma producing heavy karmic results.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No holy place is referenced; the verse is a general dharma enumeration.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the implied observance is bodily discipline aligned with dharma (ahiṃsā, asteya, and purity).