Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

शापं दत्त्वा तदा क्रोधाद्ब्राह्मणाय युधिष्ठिर । दरिद्राः सततं मूर्खा भवेयुश्च ययुर्गृहान्

Transliteration

śāpaṃ dattvā tadā krodhādbrāhmaṇāya yudhiṣṭhira | daridrāḥ satataṃ mūrkhā bhaveyuśca yayurgṛhān

Translation

Alors, saisis de colère, ils lancèrent une malédiction contre le brāhmane, ô Yudhiṣṭhira : « Puisses-tu demeurer toujours pauvre et toujours insensé. » Après l’avoir ainsi maudit, ils retournèrent à leurs demeures.

Word by Word

• शापम्: a curse
• शापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial to main action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु) → दत्त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive) — ‘having given’

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• क्रोधात्: from anger
• क्रोधात्: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रोध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन — Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• ब्राह्मणाय: to a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणाय: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन — Masculine, Dative, Singular

• युधिष्ठिर: O Yudhiṣṭhira
• युधिष्ठिर: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युधिष्ठिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• दरिद्राः: poor
• दरिद्राः: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दरिद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सततम्: always
• सततम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सततम् (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of manner/frequency)

• मूर्खाः: foolish
• मूर्खाः: Kartā (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मूर्ख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• भवेयुः: might become / would be
• भवेयुः: Kriyā (Predicate action/state)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन — Optative, 3rd person, Plural

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

• ययुः: went
• ययुः: Kriyā (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लिट्/परस्मैपद-परिप्रेक्ष्ये लुङ् (Aorist), प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन — Aorist, 3rd person, Plural

• गृहान्: to the houses
• गृहान्: Karma (Goal/Object of motion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

Śaṅkara (Śiva) (deduced from 133.38); addressed listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A group of brāhmaṇas, faces tightened with anger, pronounce a curse; the cursed brāhmaṇa stands silent; the scene closes with them returning to their homes, dusk settling.

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Brāhmaṇa
• Lokapāla (implied as curser group)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Anger-driven speech becomes destructive; curses born of krodha bind both victim and speaker to further suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not a tīrtha-verse itself; it is part of the Revā-khaṇḍa narrative that frames later tīrtha merits.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse warns through narrative about the misuse of śāpa (cursing).