Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

निषसाद रथोपस्थे दुर्वाचा सुजनो यथा । तथागतं तु तं दृष्ट्वा धनेशं वै मृतं यथा

Transliteration

niṣasāda rathopasthe durvācā sujano yathā | tathāgataṃ tu taṃ dṛṣṭvā dhaneśaṃ vai mṛtaṃ yathā

Translation

Il s’affaissa sur le siège du char, tel un homme de bien accablé par des paroles cruelles. Le voyant ainsi, ils crurent vraiment que Dhanesha, Seigneur des Richesses, était comme mort.

Word by Word

• niṣasāda: sat down, sank down
• niṣasāda: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni + sad (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect); प्रथम-पुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग: नि (he sat down/collapsed)

• ratha-upasthe: on the seat of the chariot
• ratha-upasthe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ratha (प्रातिपदिक) + upastha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine, Locative singular)

• durvācā: harsh speech
• durvācā: Karta (Subject in simile/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: durvāc (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative singular; 'harsh speech')

• sujanaḥ: a good person
• sujanaḥ: Karta (Subject in simile/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sujana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative singular)

• yathā: as, like
• yathā: Sambandha (Comparative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमानार्थक (comparative particle: 'as')

• tathā: so, thus
• tathā: Sambandha (Correlative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तद्वत्/एवम्-अर्थक (correlative adverb: 'so, thus')

• āgatam: come, arrived
• āgatam: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā + gam (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुं/नपुंसक; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन; उपसर्ग: आ (Accusative singular: 'come/arrived', qualifying tam)

• tu: but, indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अन्वयार्थक (particle: 'but/indeed')

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative singular pronoun)

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/Adverbial action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund); धातु: दृश् (to see) (having seen)

• dhaneśam: Dhanesha (Kubera)
• dhaneśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhaneśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative singular)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक/खलु-अर्थक (emphatic particle: 'indeed')

• mṛtam: dead
• mṛtam: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mṛta (प्रातिपदिक; from mṛ धातु + kta)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle); पुं/नपुंसक; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Accusative singular; 'dead', qualifying dhaneśam/tam)

• yathā: as if
• yathā: Sambandha (Comparative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमानार्थक (comparative particle: 'as if')

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kubera slumps onto the chariot-seat, limp and pale; companions stare, believing him dead; the metaphor of ‘cruel words’ appears as dark arrows striking a gentle figure in a parallel vignette.

Characters & Entities

• Dhaneśa (Kubera)
• Sujana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cruel speech can ‘kill’ the spirit of the virtuous; dharma upholds gentle, truthful, beneficial vāṇī.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is referenced.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.