Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 93

Devanagari script

जायतेऽशुचिगन्धोऽत्र परभाग्योपजीवकः । स्वकर्मविच्युताः पापा वर्णाश्रमविवर्जिताः

Transliteration

jāyate'śucigandho'tra parabhāgyopajīvakaḥ | svakarmavicyutāḥ pāpā varṇāśramavivarjitāḥ

Translation

ഇവിടെ അവൻ അശുചിദുർഗന്ധത്തോടെ ജനിച്ച് മറ്റുള്ളവരുടെ ഭാഗ്യത്തെ ആശ്രയിച്ച് ജീവിക്കുന്നു. സ്വധർമ്മത്തിൽ നിന്ന് വഴുതിയ പാപികൾ വർണാശ്രമധർമ്മം ഉപേക്ഷിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• जायते: is born; arises
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• अशुचि-गन्धः: foul smell
• अशुचि-गन्धः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अशुचि (प्रातिपदिक) + गन्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (अशुचिः गन्धः)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• पर-भाग्य-उपजीवकः: one who lives off others' fortune
• पर-भाग्य-उपजीवकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक) + भाग्य (प्रातिपदिक) + उपजीवक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (परस्य भाग्यस्य उपजीवकः)

• स्व-कर्म-विच्युताः: fallen from their own duty/work
• स्व-कर्म-विच्युताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + विच्युत (कृदन्त; √च्यु धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; भूतकर्मणि-क्त; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (स्वकर्मणः विच्युताः)

• पापाः: sinners
• पापाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• वर्ण-आश्रम-विवर्जिताः: devoid of varṇa and āśrama (social-religious order)
• वर्ण-आश्रम-विवर्जिताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक) + आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक) + विवर्जित (कृदन्त; √वृज्/वर्ज् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; भूतकर्मणि-क्त; द्वन्द्व-समासः (वर्णः च आश्रमः च) ततः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थः (वर्णाश्रमयोः विवर्जिताः)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Skanda Purana narrative style within Āvantya Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A moralized rebirth scene: a person born with foul odor and signs of impurity, shown living off another’s wealth, contrasted with an orderly āśrama setting where duties are performed—fire ritual, study, service—near a sacred riverbank.

Characters & Entities

• Varṇa-āśrama-dharma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

One should live by svadharma and disciplined life; abandoning rightful duty and integrity leads to degradation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned; the verse is a general dharma admonition within the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; it prescribes adherence to svadharma and varṇāśrama disciplines as a lived practice.