Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

वातको जलहर्ता च धान्यहर्ता च मूषकः । अप्राप्तयौवनां गच्छन् भवेत्सर्प इति श्रुतिः

Transliteration

vātako jalahartā ca dhānyahartā ca mūṣakaḥ | aprāptayauvanāṃ gacchan bhavetsarpa iti śrutiḥ

Translation

Ainsi l’enseigne la tradition sacrée : le colporteur de paroles et le voleur d’eau sont frappés de troubles du vent. Le voleur de grain renaît en souris. Et celui qui s’approche d’une jeune fille avant la puberté devient serpent.

Word by Word

• वातकः: one who causes wind/flatulence (vātaka)
• वातकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वातक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• जलहर्ता: water-stealer
• जलहर्ता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल + हर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक; √हृ (धातु) + तृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/उपपद-तत्पुरुष (जलस्य हर्ता)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• धान्यहर्ता: grain-stealer
• धान्यहर्ता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धान्य + हर्तृ (प्रातिपदिक; √हृ (धातु) + तृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (धान्यस्य हर्ता)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• मूषकः: mouse/rat
• मूषकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूषक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अप्राप्तयौवनाम्: a girl who has not attained youth
• अप्राप्तयौवनाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-प्राप्त (कृदन्त; √आप् (धातु) + क्त) + यौवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/नञ्-तत्पुरुष (अप्राप्तं यौवनं यस्याः सा)

• गच्छन्: going (to)
• गच्छन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकालिक-कर्तरि-शतृ (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• सर्पः: snake
• सर्पः: Karya/Phala (Result/फल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/इत्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• श्रुतिः: tradition/hearsay; saying
• श्रुतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रुति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) milieu (contextual)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic tableau: a village well/irrigation channel and granary in the foreground; a gossiping figure and a thief; a shadowy serpent motif behind a man approaching an underage girl—each act visually linked to its rebirth-form through subtle metamorphic overlays.

Characters & Entities

• jala (water)
• dhānya (grain)
• sarpa (snake)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Basic resources (water, grain) and vulnerable persons must be protected; violating them is portrayed as severe adharma with grave karmic outcomes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No particular tīrtha is mentioned in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is prohibitive and ethical.