Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 40
Devanagari script
कथायां वर्तमानायां ये वदंति नराधमाः । ते गर्दभाः प्रजायन्ते कृकलासास्ततः परम्
Transliteration
kathāyāṃ vartamānāyāṃ ye vadaṃti narādhamāḥ | te gardabhāḥ prajāyante kṛkalāsāstataḥ param
Translation
കഥ നടക്കുമ്പോൾ സംസാരിക്കുന്ന അധമന്മാർ കഴുതയായി ജനിക്കുന്നു; അതിനുശേഷം പല്ലിയുടെ യോനി പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.
Word by Word
कथायाम्in the discourse
कथायाम्:
Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootकथा (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन
वर्तमानायाम्while (it is) going on/being recited
वर्तमानायाम्:
Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
TypeAdjective
Rootवृत् (धातु) → वर्तमान (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
Formशतृ-प्रत्ययान्त (present active participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कथायाम्)
येthose who
ये:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootयद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचकः
वदन्तिthey speak (talk)
वदन्ति:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootवद् (धातु)
Formलट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्
नराधमाःbase men
नराधमाः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootनर (प्रातिपदिक) + अधम (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (अधमा नराः)
तेthey
ते:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; अन्वादेश
गर्दभाःdonkeys
गर्दभाः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootगर्दभ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन
प्रजायन्तेare born
प्रजायन्ते:
Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Rootप्र-जन् (धातु)
Formलट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; आत्मनेपदम्
कृकलासाःlizards
कृकलासाः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootकृकलास (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन
ततःthereafter/from that
ततः:
Apadana (Source/अपादान)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootततः (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb)
परम्afterwards/further
परम्:
Kala/Anukrama (Sequence/अनुक्रम)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootपर (प्रातिपदिक)
Formअव्यय-प्रयोगः (adverbial accusative)
Speaker
Unknown (context not supplied; likely a purāṇic narrator within Brahmottarakhaṇḍa)
Visual Art Cues
Scene: During recitation, two men whisper and gesture; the audience looks disturbed; karmic symbolism shows them burdened like donkeys and clinging like lizards to walls—metaphors for heedlessness.
FAQs
Maintain silence and attentiveness; disrupting sacred discourse is a serious fault.
None is specified; it is a general dharma rule.
Do not engage in side-talk while kathā is being recited.