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

“When a base man is ignored by the strong, he imagines strength in himself. Therefore a wise person should never disregard the vile in any way.”

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.