Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

अथवा वणिजः शूरा मदमायाविमोहिताः । मदाज्ञां न प्रकुर्वंति मन्यंते वा न ते जनाः

Transliteration

athavā vaṇijaḥ śūrā madamāyāvimohitāḥ | madājñāṃ na prakurvaṃti manyaṃte vā na te janāḥ

Translation

അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ധീരരായ വാണിജ്യക്കാർ മദവും മായയും മൂലം മോഹിതരായി എന്റെ ആജ്ഞ നടപ്പാക്കാതിരിക്കാം; അല്ലെങ്കിൽ ആ ജനങ്ങൾ അതിനെ അംഗീകരിക്കാതിരിക്കാം।

Word by Word

• अथवा: or else
• अथवा: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथवा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (or/otherwise)

• वणिजः: merchants
• वणिजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वणिज् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/कर्ता), बहुवचन

• शूराः: brave
• शूराः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying वणिजः)

• मदमायाविमोहिताः: deluded by intoxication and illusion
• मदमायाविमोहिताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मद (प्रातिपदिक) + माया (प्रातिपदिक) + विमोहित (कृदन्त; वि+मुह् धातु)
• Form: समास (मद-च माया-च ताभ्याम् विमोहिताः इति अर्थे; व्यवहारतः तत्पुरुष-समास); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) ‘विमोहित’

• मदाज्ञाम्: my command
• मदाज्ञाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत् (अस्मद्-प्रातिपदिक) + आज्ञा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मम आज्ञा); स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• प्रकुर्वन्ति: they carry out; they do
• प्रकुर्वन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• मन्यन्ते: they think; they consider
• मन्यन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक (or)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• ते: they; those
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन (they/those)

• जनाः: people
• जनाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Rāmadeva (Śrī Rāma)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: the addressed community (implied dvijas/attendants)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cautionary tableau: confident traders with goods and ledgers, some shown intoxicated or whispering deceitfully, contrasted with the dharmic assembly maintaining ordinance in the forest.

Characters & Entities

• Vaṇijaḥ (merchants/traders)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Mada (pride/intoxication) and māyā (deceptive delusion) lead people to disregard righteous authority and dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse continues the Dharmāraṇya setting, emphasizing it as a place where dharma must be protected when society falters.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; the focus is on moral vigilance and adherence to a dhārmic injunction.