Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

। लोमश उवाच । तस्करोऽपि पुरा ब्रह्मन्सर्वधर्मबाहिष्कृतः । ब्रह्मघ्नोऽसौ सुरापश्च सुवर्णस्य च तस्करः

Transliteration

| lomaśa uvāca | taskaro'pi purā brahmansarvadharmabāhiṣkṛtaḥ | brahmaghno'sau surāpaśca suvarṇasya ca taskaraḥ

Translation

લોમશ બોલ્યા—હે બ્રાહ્મણ, પ્રાચીનકાળે એક ચોર હતો, જે સર્વ ધર્મથી બહિષ્કૃત હતો। તે બ્રાહ્મણહંતા, સુરાપાન કરનાર અને સોનાનો ચોર પણ હતો।

Word by Word

• lomaśaḥ: Lomaśa
• lomaśaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lomaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular (Lomaśa)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — Perfect, 3rd singular (said)

• taskaraḥ: a thief
• taskaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: taskara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular (thief)

• api: also, even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अपि = also/even) — Particle

• purā: formerly
• purā: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक) — Indeclinable adverb (formerly)

• brahman: O Brahmin
• brahman: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th) विभक्ति, एकवचन — Vocative singular (O Brahmin)

• sarva-dharma-bāhiṣkṛtaḥ: cast out from all duties/religion
• sarva-dharma-bāhiṣkṛtaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + bāhiṣkṛta (कृदन्त, bahis-kṛ)
• Form: बहिः+कृ-धातोः क्त; समासः (सर्वेभ्यः धर्मेभ्यः बाहिष्कृतः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular (excluded from all dharmas)

• brahma-ghnaḥ: Brahmin-slayer
• brahma-ghnaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक) + ghna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्मणः घ्नः); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular (slayer of a Brahmin)

• asau: he
• asau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम — Masculine, Nominative, Singular (that man/he)

• surā-paḥ: liquor-drinker
• surā-paḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: surā (प्रातिपदिक) + pa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः (सुरां पिबति); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular (drinker of liquor)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक) — Conjunction (and)

• suvarṇasya: of gold
• suvarṇasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suvarṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन — Neuter, Genitive, Singular (of gold)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय) — Conjunction (and)

• taskaraḥ: thief
• taskaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: taskara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Singular (thief)

Speaker

Lomaśa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇa (unnamed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Lomaśa narrates to a brāhmaṇa: a shadowy figure of a thief appears in the mind’s eye—marked by moral ruin—while the sage’s calm presence frames the tale as a path to redemption.

Characters & Entities

• Lomaśa
• Brāhmaṇa (listener)
• Śiva (context of Kedārakhaṇḍa)
• Kedāra (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even one burdened with grave sins can become the subject of a dharma-teaching, implying the possibility of transformation through sacred contact and devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kedārakhaṇḍa context indicates Kedāra-kṣetra, where Śiva’s sanctity becomes the backdrop for redemption narratives.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it introduces the sinner’s profile to set up later acts (often temple-contact, service, or worship) that lead to purification.