Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

न ज्ञायते कुलं यस्य बीजशुद्धिं विना ततः । तस्य खादन्पिबन्वापि साधुः सीदति तत्क्षणात्

Transliteration

na jñāyate kulaṃ yasya bījaśuddhiṃ vinā tataḥ | tasya khādanpibanvāpi sādhuḥ sīdati tatkṣaṇāt

Translation

Bila garis keturunan seseorang tidak dapat diketahui—tanpa terlebih dahulu memeriksa kemurnian asal benihnya—maka bahkan orang saleh yang memakan atau meminum miliknya segera jatuh ke dalam kemalangan.

Word by Word

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

• ज्ञायते: is known
• ज्ञायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• कुलम्: family, lineage
• कुलम्: Karta (Subject in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• बीजशुद्धिम्: purity of seed/lineage
• बीजशुद्धिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बीज-शुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक; बीज + शुद्धि)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (बीजस्य शुद्धिः)

• विना: without
• विना: Apadana (Ablative sense/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: अपादानार्थक-अव्यय (preposition-like indeclinable: 'without')

• ततः: therefore
• ततः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतुवाचक/अनन्तरवाचक-अव्यय (therefore/then)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• खादन्: eating
• खादन्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: खाद् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण (converbial participle)

• पिबन्: drinking
• पिबन्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प-अव्यय (or)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अपि-निपात (even/also)

• साधुः: a good man, a virtuous person
• साधुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साधु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सीदति: falls into distress/perishes
• सीदति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• तत्क्षणात्: immediately
• तत्क्षणात्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्-क्षण (प्रातिपदिक; तत् + क्षण)
• Form: पञ्चमी-विभक्ति-एकवचन-रूपेण अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः (ablatival adverb: 'from that moment/instantly'); तत्पुरुष-समास

Speaker

Unspecified (context suggests a Purāṇic narrator in Māheśvarakhaṇḍa, likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa addressing sages)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nara

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic moment: Kālabhīti cites a rule—an image of a righteous ascetic inadvertently eating/drinking and immediately suffering misfortune, shown as a cautionary tableau.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity and discernment in accepting food/water are treated as immediate moral consequences in Dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse; it focuses on conduct (ācāra) rather than sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A cautionary rule about eating/drinking from questionable sources; no specific vrata, snāna, or dāna is stated.