Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

अवध्याश्च स्त्रियः सृष्टा मन्यंते धर्मचिंतकाः । तस्माद्धर्मेण धर्मज्ञ एष वादो मनीषिणाम्

Transliteration

avadhyāśca striyaḥ sṛṣṭā manyaṃte dharmaciṃtakāḥ | tasmāddharmeṇa dharmajña eṣa vādo manīṣiṇām

Translation

ಧರ್ಮಚಿಂತಕರು ಸ್ತ್ರೀಯರು ಅವಧ್ಯರು—ಅಂದರೆ ವಧಿಸಬಾರದು—ಎಂದು ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಸಲ್ಪಟ್ಟಿದ್ದಾರೆ ಎಂದು ಮನ್ಯಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಹೇ ಧರ್ಮಜ್ಞ, ಮನುಷ್ಯರ ಯುಕ್ತಿವಾದ ಇದು: ಧರ್ಮದಿಂದಲೇ ಧರ್ಮವನ್ನು ಅನುಸರಿಸಬೇಕು.

Word by Word

• अवध्याः: not to be killed
• अवध्याः: Karta (Subject complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अवध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Nominative plural ‘not to be slain’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)

• स्त्रियः: women
• स्त्रियः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्त्री (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Nominative plural ‘women’

• सृष्टाः: were created
• सृष्टाः: Karta (Predicate with passive sense)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सृष्ट (कृदन्त; √सृज् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Past participle: ‘created’ agreeing with स्त्रियः

• मन्यन्ते: think/consider
• मन्यन्ते: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √मन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद — Present: ‘they think’

• धर्मचिन्तकाः: thinkers on dharma
• धर्मचिन्तकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म + चिन्तक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — ‘thinkers of dharma’; समासः: धर्मस्य चिन्तकाः

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Reason)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात्-इत्यव्ययप्रयोगः (ablatival adverb) — ‘therefore/from that’

• धर्मेण: by dharma/justly
• धर्मेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन — Instrumental singular ‘by/according to dharma’

• धर्मज्ञ: O knower of dharma
• धर्मज्ञ: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्मज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन — Vocative; समासः: धर्मं जानाति इति (knower of dharma)

• एषः: this
• एषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘this’

• वादः: doctrine/argument
• वादः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular ‘statement/doctrine’

• मनीषिणाम्: of the sages/wise
• मनीषिणाम्: Sambandha (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनीषिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन — Genitive plural ‘of the wise’

Speaker

Unspecified (petitioners appealing to dharma before the brāhmaṇa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic moment: one speaker gestures as if citing dharma; the sage listens with composed authority. The atmosphere shifts from emotional pleading to reasoned ethical discourse.

Characters & Entities

• dharma
• manīṣi (the wise)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is upheld through restraint and lawful compassion; the wise argue for non-violence and principled judgment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; this is a dharma-argument within the story.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it presents a normative ethical claim rather than a rite.