Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

परस्परं दूषयंतो मिथ्यावादरताः खलाः

Transliteration

parasparaṃ dūṣayaṃto mithyāvādaratāḥ khalāḥ

Translation

Ils se calomnient mutuellement, se complaisant dans la parole mensongère—êtres à l’esprit vil.

Word by Word

• परस्परम्: mutually
• परस्परम्: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परस्पर (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोग)
• Form: अव्यय (adverbial accusative: ‘mutually/each other’)

• दूषयन्तः: blaming/defaming
• दूषयन्तः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दूष् (धातु) + शतृ (वर्तमान-कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकालिक कर्तरि कृदन्त (present active participle, शतृ); पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• मिथ्या-वाद-रताः: delighting in false speech
• मिथ्या-वाद-रताः: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मिथ्या (अव्यय) + वाद (प्रातिपदिक) + रत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √रम्)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (मिथ्यावादे रताः); पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• खलाः: wicked people
• खलाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: खल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced: Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra / Kedāranātha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience within Kedāra narrative (pilgrims/ṛṣis/devas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cautionary vignette: two groups of people pointing accusingly at each other, their words depicted as dark arrows; above them a serene liṅga radiates light that the arrows cannot reach; a pilgrim covers his mouth in vow of measured speech; Kedāra landscape remains calm, contrasting human agitation.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Untruth and mutual blame are marks of spiritual decline; dharma begins with truthful, non-harmful speech.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits in the Kedārakhaṇḍa setting, where Kedāra is upheld as a place encouraging purification of conduct and mind.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the instruction is ethical—avoid slander and falsehood.