Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 83

Devanagari script

वेदस्मृतीतिहासेषु पुराणेषु प्रकल्पितम् । चतुःपादं तथा धर्मं नाचरत्यधमः पशुः

Transliteration

vedasmṛtītihāseṣu purāṇeṣu prakalpitam | catuḥpādaṃ tathā dharmaṃ nācaratyadhamaḥ paśuḥ

Translation

Ce dharma aux quatre pieds, établi dans les Veda, les Smṛti, les Itihāsa et les Purāṇa, l’homme le plus vil, semblable à une bête, ne le met pas en pratique.

Word by Word

• वेद: Veda
• वेद: Adhikarana (Locative base/अधिकरण-आश्रय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रातिपदिक; समासपूर्वपद (वेद-स्मृति-इतिहास-ेषु इति समासे)

• स्मृति: Smṛti (tradition)
• स्मृति: Adhikarana (Locative base/अधिकरण-आश्रय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्मृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रातिपदिक; समासमध्यपद (वेद-स्मृति-इतिहास-ेषु)

• इतिहासेषु: in the Itihāsas (and allied texts)
• इतिहासेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इतिहास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति (Locative/अधिकरण), बहुवचन; समास: वेद-स्मृति-इतिहास (समाहार-द्वन्द्व/समुच्चयार्थ) + -षु

• पुराणेषु: in the Purāṇas
• पुराणेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुराण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति (Locative/अधिकरण), बहुवचन

• प्रकल्पितम्: is laid down/established
• प्रकल्पितम्: Predicate (कर्मणि-प्रयोगे विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-कल्प् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त/PPP); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; कर्मणि-भावः; ‘प्रकल्पित’ = ‘established/arranged’

• चतुःपादम्: four-footed (having four parts)
• चतुःपादम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् + पाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन; समास: चतुरः पादाः यस्य/यत् (चतुः-पाद)

• तथा: thus/also
• तथा: Modifier (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• धर्मम्: dharma
• धर्मम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Modifier (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• आचरति: practices/observes
• आचरति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-चर् (धातु)
• Form: लट् लकार (Present); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• अधमः: lowest/base
• अधमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/कर्ता), एकवचन; विशेषण

• पशुः: beast/animal (ignorant person)
• पशुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पशु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/कर्ता), एकवचन

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa convention)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic tableau: a seated ācārya pointing to palm-leaf śāstra; beside him a bull symbolizing four-legged dharma; in contrast, a man with animalistic shadow ignoring the teaching.

Characters & Entities

• Veda
• Smṛti
• Itihāsa
• Purāṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Scriptures repeatedly establish dharma, yet one who refuses to live it is reduced to a merely instinct-driven life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified; the verse frames dharma as universally taught across scriptural corpora.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the prescription is ‘ācāra’—actual practice of dharma.