Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 89

Devanagari script

दुश्चर्माणो दुर्भगाश्च जायन्ते मानवा हि ते । मानकूटं तुलाकूटं कूटकं तु वदन्ति ये

Transliteration

duścarmāṇo durbhagāśca jāyante mānavā hi te | mānakūṭaṃ tulākūṭaṃ kūṭakaṃ tu vadanti ye

Translation

En vérité, ces gens naissent avec la peau malade et une mauvaise fortune : ceux qui parlent de fausses mesures, de faux poids et de contrefaçons trompeuses.

Word by Word

• दुश्चर्माणः: having bad skin
• दुश्चर्माणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुस् (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + चर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक); दुश्-चर्मन्
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (दुष्टं चर्म यस्य/येषां—'bad-skinned')

• दुर्भगाः: unfortunate
• दुर्भगाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर् (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + भग (प्रातिपदिक); दुर्भग
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha/Particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• जायन्ते: are born
• जायन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• मानवाः: humans/men
• मानवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha/Particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• मानकूटम्: fraud in measurement
• मानकूटम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मान + कूट (प्रातिपदिक); मान-कूट
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (determinative: 'measure' + 'fraud/cheating')

• तुलाकूटम्: fraud with scales
• तुलाकूटम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तुला + कूट (प्रातिपदिक); तुला-कूट
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (determinative: 'scale' + 'fraud')

• कूटकम्: deceit/cheating
• कूटकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कूटक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha/Particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (contrastive particle)

• वदन्ति: say/call
• वदन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Skanda Purana narrative style within Āvantya Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-mahātmya context

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A marketplace scene: a trader secretly uses false weights and counterfeit goods; the karmic mirror shows future birth with diseased skin and a cloud of ill-luck hovering.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Truthfulness and fairness in trade are dharma; fraud harms society and rebounds as suffering and misfortune.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named; it is an ethical instruction embedded within the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse condemns dishonest commerce and counterfeiting.