Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

अनिबद्धप्रलापित्वमसत्यं चाप्रियं च यत् । परापवादपैशुन्यं चतुर्धा कर्म वाचिकम्

Transliteration

anibaddhapralāpitvamasatyaṃ cāpriyaṃ ca yat | parāpavādapaiśunyaṃ caturdhā karma vācikam

Translation

L’action verbale est quadruple : bavardage incohérent ou futile ; mensonge ; paroles dures ou déplaisantes ; et médisance calomnieuse contre autrui.

Word by Word

• अनिबद्धप्रलापित्वम्: incoherent/irrelevant talkativeness
• अनिबद्धप्रलापित्वम्: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Member of enumeration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनिबद्ध + प्रलापित्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—अनिबद्धं प्रलापित्वम् (कर्मधारय)

• असत्यम्: falsehood
• असत्यम्: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Member of enumeration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अ + सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नञ्-पूर्वक

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

• अप्रियम्: harsh/unpleasant speech
• अप्रियम्: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Member of enumeration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अ + प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नञ्-पूर्वक

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

• यत्: that which
• यत्: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Appositive/‘that which’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• परापवादपैशुन्यम्: slanderous tale-bearing about others
• परापवादपैशुन्यम्: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Member of enumeration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर + अपवाद + पैशुन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—परस्य अपवादः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष) + पैशुन्यम् (अपवादात्मकं पैशुन्यम्)

• चतुर्धा: fourfold
• चतुर्धा: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चतुर् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + धा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb): ‘चार प्रकारेण’

• कर्म: action
• कर्म: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वाचिकम्: verbal
• वाचिकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाचिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कर्म)

Speaker

Mahākāla

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahākāla-kṣetra (Ujjayinī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Four speech-faults are symbolized: scattered syllables (pralāpa), a forked tongue (asatya), thorny words (apriya/pāruṣya), and a shadowy whispering figure (paiśunya). Mahākāla gestures toward a calm, truthful speaker as the ideal.

Characters & Entities

• Mahākāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Speech can generate grave pāpa; dharma requires truthfulness, restraint, and avoidance of harm and defamation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the focus is ethical purification through disciplined speech.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse prescribes moral restraint: avoid lies, harshness, idle talk, and slander.