Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 77

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मण्याद्धीयते विप्रः शूद्रो धर्माच्च हीयते । धर्मोपदेशः शूद्राणां स्वश्रेयः प्रतिघातयेत्

Transliteration

brāhmaṇyāddhīyate vipraḥ śūdro dharmācca hīyate | dharmopadeśaḥ śūdrāṇāṃ svaśreyaḥ pratighātayet

Translation

Le vipra décline lorsqu’il s’écarte de la brāhmaṇya, la conduite propre au brahmane; et le Śūdra décline lorsqu’il s’éloigne de son dharma. On dit qu’enseigner le dharma aux Śūdras entrave son propre bien spirituel.

Word by Word

• ब्राह्मण्यात्: from Brahminhood
• ब्राह्मण्यात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neut.), पञ्चमी (5th case), एकवचन (sing.)

• हीयते: declines / is diminished
• हीयते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (sing.); आत्मनेपदम्

• विप्रः: a Brahmin
• विप्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masc.), प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (sing.)

• शूद्रः: a Shudra
• शूद्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masc.), प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (sing.)

• धर्मात्: from dharma
• धर्मात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masc.), पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन (sing.)

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

• हीयते: declines / is diminished
• हीयते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (sing.); आत्मनेपदम्

• धर्मोपदेशः: instruction in dharma
• धर्मोपदेशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + उपदेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masc.), प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (sing.); (धर्मस्य उपदेशः)

• शूद्राणाम्: of Shudras
• शूद्राणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masc.), षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन (pl.)

• स्वश्रेयः: one's own welfare
• स्वश्रेयः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neut.), प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन (sing.); (स्वस्य श्रेयः)

• प्रतिघातयेत्: would obstruct / should hinder
• प्रतिघातयेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति+घातय् (धातु; घात् causative)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधि), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (sing.); परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Unknown (Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa instructional narration; speaker not explicit in snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A guru addresses a student with a manuscript on dharma; behind them, figures representing different social roles perform their duties; the composition emphasizes ‘svadharma’ as ordered harmony, with a serious, instructional tone.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Each person is urged to remain steady in their prescribed duties; the verse frames spiritual stability as arising from adherence to one’s traditional dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is referenced; the focus is normative dharma teaching.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A restriction concerning dharma instruction to Śūdras, presented as a rule of conduct within this section.