Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

व्यवहारे पक्षपाती जिह्वारोगी भवेन्नरः । धर्मप्रवृत्तिं सञ्चार्य पत्न्यादीष्टवियोगकृत्

Transliteration

vyavahāre pakṣapātī jihvārogī bhavennaraḥ | dharmapravṛttiṃ sañcārya patnyādīṣṭaviyogakṛt

Translation

L’homme qui se montre partial dans les jugements contracte une maladie de la langue. Et celui qui trouble la pratique du dharma devient la cause de la séparation d’avec les êtres aimés—l’épouse et les autres.

Word by Word

• व्यवहारे: in dealings/litigation
• व्यवहारे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyavahāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• पक्षपाती: biased, partisan
• पक्षपाती: Karta (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pakṣa-pātin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/उपपद-प्रायः ‘पक्षं पातयति/आश्रयति’ = partial

• जिह्वा-रोगी: having disease of the tongue
• जिह्वा-रोगी: Karta (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jihvā (प्रातिपदिक) + rogin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जिह्वायाः रोगी)

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• धर्म-प्रवृत्तिम्: religious activity/engagement in dharma
• धर्म-प्रवृत्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + pravṛtti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (धर्मस्य प्रवृत्तिः) कर्म

• सञ्चार्य: having spread/propagated
• सञ्चार्य: Purvakala-kriya (Absolutive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam√car (धातु) + ल्यप् (कृदन्त)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययभाव-कृदन्त (gerund); ‘सञ्चार्य’ = सञ्चारं कृत्वा

• पत्नी-आदि-इष्ट-वियोग-कृत्: causing separation from beloved ones such as wife
• पत्नी-आदि-इष्ट-वियोग-कृत्: Karta (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: patnī (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + iṣṭa (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + viyoga (प्रातिपदिक) + kṛt (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष: ‘पत्नी-आदि-इष्टानां वियोगं करोति’

Speaker

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

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A judge/arbiter sits in a village assembly showing favoritism to one party; later he is depicted with a diseased tongue, unable to speak. In another scene, a person blocks a family member’s dharma practice (stopping a vrata/pūjā), leading to sorrowful separation—wife and loved ones departing.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Justice must be impartial and dharma must not be hindered; corruption of speech and obstruction of righteousness fracture both body and relationships.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a dharma-śikṣā (ethical instruction) regarding fair conduct and non-obstruction of religious life.