Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 104

Devanagari script

अरण्ये निर्जले देशे स भवेत्क्रूरराक्षसः । देवस्वं ब्राह्मणस्वं च लोभेनैवाहरेच्च यः

Transliteration

araṇye nirjale deśe sa bhavetkrūrarākṣasaḥ | devasvaṃ brāhmaṇasvaṃ ca lobhenaivāharecca yaḥ

Translation

貪欲に駆られて神々に捧げられた財や婆羅門の財を盗む者は、残忍な羅刹（ラークシャサ）となり、水なき荒れた森野に住まう。

Word by Word

• araṇye: in a forest
• araṇye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: araṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular)

• nirjale: waterless
• nirjale: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nir-jala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; नञ्-तत्पुरुषः: nir + jala (Neuter, Locative, Singular; ‘without water’)

• deśe: in a place/region
• deśe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (Masculine, Locative, Singular)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nom, Singular)

• bhavet: would become
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (Optative, 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada)

• krūra: cruel
• krūra: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: krūra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रातिपदिक (compound member) (Stem used in compound)

• rākṣasaḥ: a demon
• rākṣasaḥ: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rākṣasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः: krūra + rākṣasaḥ (Masculine, Nom, Singular; ‘a cruel demon’)

• deva: of a god/temple
• deva: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रातिपदिक (compound member) (Stem used in compound)

• svam: deity’s property
• svam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: deva + svam (Neuter, Acc, Singular; ‘property of the deity’)

• brāhmaṇa: of a Brahmin
• brāhmaṇa: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रातिपदिक (compound member) (Stem used in compound)

• svam: Brahmin’s property
• svam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: brāhmaṇa + svam (Neuter, Acc, Singular)

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

• lobhena: through greed/out of greed
• lobhena: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause/करण-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lobha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (Masculine, Instrumental, Singular)

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• āharet: would take away/steal
• āharet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā√hṛ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (Optative, 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada)

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

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nom, Singular)

Speaker

Unspecified (Revākhaṇḍa narration; speaker not stated in the provided excerpt)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) implied by section context (contrastive)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A harsh, cracked wilderness under a burning sky; a cruel rākṣasa figure prowls, parched and isolated, far from rivers; mirage-like distance emphasizes deprivation.

Characters & Entities

• Devas (temple property)
• Brāhmaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Greed-driven theft—especially of sacred (devasva) or brāhmaṇa property—destroys dharma and leads to severe karmic consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader passage belongs to the Śuklatīrtha context in Revākhaṇḍa, though this verse itself focuses on the sin of theft rather than describing the site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; it is an ethical prohibition against stealing sacred or brāhmaṇa property.