Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

अनध्ययनशीलं च सदाचारविलंघिनम् । सालसं च दुरन्नादं ब्राह्मणं बाधतेंऽतकः

Transliteration

anadhyayanaśīlaṃ ca sadācāravilaṃghinam | sālasaṃ ca durannādaṃ brāhmaṇaṃ bādhateṃ'takaḥ

Translation

അധ്യയനത്തിൽ ലീനനല്ലാത്ത, സദാചാരം ലംഘിക്കുന്ന, ആലസ്യമുള്ള, അശുദ്ധാഹാരത്തിൽ ജീവിക്കുന്ന ബ്രാഹ്മണനെ നാശം (മൃത്യുഭയം) ബാധിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• anadhyayanaśīlam: having the habit of not studying
• anadhyayanaśīlam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: an- + adhyayana + śīla (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (अनध्ययन + शील), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'brāhmaṇam' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction) समुच्चयार्थक

• sadācāravilaṃghinam: one who violates good conduct
• sadācāravilaṃghinam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sadācāra + vilaṃghin (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (सदाचार + विलङ्घिन्), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'brāhmaṇam' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• sālasaṃ: lazy, slothful
• sālasaṃ: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sālasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'brāhmaṇam' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (conjunction) समुच्चयार्थक

• durannādam: one who eats bad/impure food
• durannādam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur + annāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (दुर्+अन्नाद), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'brāhmaṇam' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• brāhmaṇam: a Brahmin
• brāhmaṇam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• bādhate: afflicts, troubles
• bādhate: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bādh (बाध् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• antakaḥ: Death (Yama)
• antakaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: antaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified (Dharmāraṇyakhaṇḍa narrative voice; traditionally framed within Sūta’s discourse in Purāṇic setting)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A negligent brāhmaṇa sits amid scattered scriptures, sleeping; a shadowy figure of Antaka approaches. In contrast, a disciplined brāhmaṇa studies by lamp with pure food offerings nearby—an implied moral contrast.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Antaka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Neglect of study, discipline, and pure living corrodes dharma; spiritual authority without conduct invites downfall.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse is a dharma-warning meant to protect the sanctity of religious life everywhere.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Adhyayana (regular study) and sadācāra (right conduct) are mandated implicitly, along with regulation of āhāra (food).