Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

चातुर्मास्ये दयाधर्मो न धर्मो भूतविद्रुहाम् । सर्वदा सर्व दानेषु भूतद्रोहं विवर्जयेत्

Transliteration

cāturmāsye dayādharmo na dharmo bhūtavidruhām | sarvadā sarva dāneṣu bhūtadrohaṃ vivarjayet

Translation

Durant le Cāturmāsya, le dharma de la compassion est souverain ; il n’est point de dharma véritable pour ceux qui sont hostiles aux êtres vivants. En tout temps, et dans tout acte de don, qu’on s’abstienne entièrement de nuire aux créatures.

Word by Word

• चातुर्मास्ये: in the four-month period (Cāturmāsya)
• चातुर्मास्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्मास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular

• दयाधर्मः: the duty of compassion
• दयाधर्मः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दया (प्रातिपदिक) + धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (दयायाः धर्मः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• धर्मः: dharma, righteousness
• धर्मः: Vidhi (Predicate nominal/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• भूतविद्रुहाम्: of those who harm living beings
• भूतविद्रुहाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत (प्रातिपदिक) + विद्रुह् (धातु) → विद्रुह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (भूतेषु विद्रुहः येषाम्); पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Genitive plural

• सर्वदा: always
• सर्वदा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• सर्व: all
• सर्व: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; (दानेषु इति विशेष्ये) Locative plural

• दानेषु: in (acts of) giving
• दानेषु: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Locative plural

• भूतद्रोहं: harm to living beings
• भूतद्रोहं: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत (प्रातिपदिक) + द्रोह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (भूतानां द्रोहः); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• विवर्जयेत्: should avoid
• विवर्जयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + वर्ज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; ‘should avoid’

Speaker

Brahmā (inferred from chapter colophon context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim distributing food and water with gentle hands while protecting small creatures (ants, birds, cows); a calendar motif indicates Cāturmāsya; a dark figure ‘Bhūta-droha’ is barred from entering the dāna-space by a radiant ‘Dayā’.

Characters & Entities

• Cāturmāsya
• Dayā (compassion)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Compassion and non-harm are presented as the very measure of dharma, especially during Cāturmāsya.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction appears within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra Māhātmya narrative setting of Nāgara-khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

When performing dāna (charity), ensure it is free from violence or harm to any being; uphold dayā as a Cāturmāsya observance.