Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

निषसाद रथोपस्थे दुर्वाचा सुजनो यथा । तथागतं तु तं दृष्ट्वा धनेशं वै मृतं यथा

Transliteration

niṣasāda rathopasthe durvācā sujano yathā | tathāgataṃ tu taṃ dṛṣṭvā dhaneśaṃ vai mṛtaṃ yathā

Translation

彼は戦車の座に崩れ落ちた――酷い言葉に打ちひしがれる善人のように。そうなった彼を見て、人々は財宝の主ダネーシャがまるで死したかのようだと思った。

Word by Word

• niṣasāda: sat down, sank down
• niṣasāda: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni + sad (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect); प्रथम-पुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद; उपसर्ग: नि (he sat down/collapsed)

• ratha-upasthe: on the seat of the chariot
• ratha-upasthe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ratha (प्रातिपदिक) + upastha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine, Locative singular)

• durvācā: harsh speech
• durvācā: Karta (Subject in simile/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: durvāc (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative singular; 'harsh speech')

• sujanaḥ: a good person
• sujanaḥ: Karta (Subject in simile/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sujana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative singular)

• yathā: as, like
• yathā: Sambandha (Comparative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमानार्थक (comparative particle: 'as')

• tathā: so, thus
• tathā: Sambandha (Correlative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तद्वत्/एवम्-अर्थक (correlative adverb: 'so, thus')

• āgatam: come, arrived
• āgatam: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā + gam (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle); पुं/नपुंसक; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन; उपसर्ग: आ (Accusative singular: 'come/arrived', qualifying tam)

• tu: but, indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/अन्वयार्थक (particle: 'but/indeed')

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative singular pronoun)

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/Adverbial action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive/gerund); धातु: दृश् (to see) (having seen)

• dhaneśam: Dhanesha (Kubera)
• dhaneśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhaneśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative singular)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक/खलु-अर्थक (emphatic particle: 'indeed')

• mṛtam: dead
• mṛtam: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mṛta (प्रातिपदिक; from mṛ धातु + kta)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle); पुं/नपुंसक; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन (Accusative singular; 'dead', qualifying dhaneśam/tam)

• yathā: as if
• yathā: Sambandha (Comparative marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमानार्थक (comparative particle: 'as if')

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kubera slumps onto the chariot-seat, limp and pale; companions stare, believing him dead; the metaphor of ‘cruel words’ appears as dark arrows striking a gentle figure in a parallel vignette.

Characters & Entities

• Dhaneśa (Kubera)
• Sujana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cruel speech can ‘kill’ the spirit of the virtuous; dharma upholds gentle, truthful, beneficial vāṇī.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is referenced.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.