Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 81

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणः स च वै याति नरकानेकविंशतिम् । अकालमेघस्तनिते वर्षर्तौ पांसुवर्षणे

Transliteration

brāhmaṇaḥ sa ca vai yāti narakānekaviṃśatim | akālameghastanite varṣartau pāṃsuvarṣaṇe

Translation

ഇത്തരത്തിലുള്ള ബ്രാഹ്മണൻ തീർച്ചയായും ഇരുപത്തൊന്ന് നരകങ്ങളിലേക്കു പോകുന്നു; കൂടാതെ അകാലമേഘഗർജനം, വർഷകാലത്തിലെ (അസാധാരണ) ഗർജനം, ധൂളിവർഷം—ഇവ അശുഭലക്ഷണങ്ങൾ.

Word by Word

• ब्राह्मणः: a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Co-referent subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction), अव्यय

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/निपातार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle), अव्यय

• याति: goes
• याति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• नरक-अनेक-विंशतिम्: to twenty (many) hells
• नरक-अनेक-विंशतिम्: Karma (Goal/object of motion/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक) + अनेक (प्रातिपदिक) + विंशति (प्रातिपदिक/संख्याशब्द)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; समाहारार्थे/संख्याविशेषणपूर्वक-तत्पुरुषः (अनेकान् नरकान्—विंशतिम्)

• अकाल-मेघ-स्तनिते: when thunder of clouds occurs out of season
• अकाल-मेघ-स्तनिते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/सति-सप्तमी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अकाल (प्रातिपदिक) + मेघ (प्रातिपदिक) + स्तनित (प्रातिपदिक; √स्तन् (धातु) से क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; सति-सप्तमीभावः (अकाले मेघस्तनिते सति)

• वर्ष-ऋतौ: in the rainy season
• वर्ष-ऋतौ: Adhikarana (Location/time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + ऋतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वर्षस्य ऋतौ)

• पांसु-वर्षणे: during a rain of dust
• पांसु-वर्षणे: Adhikarana (Location/time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पांसु (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्षण (प्रातिपदिक; √वृष् (धातु) से ल्युट्/भाव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पांसोः वर्षणे)

Speaker

Unknown (Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa instructional narration; speaker not explicit in snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A split scene: a fallen brāhmaṇa figure surrounded by dark, descending paths labeled as many narakas; above, the sky shows out-of-season thunderclouds and a strange dust-rain, with anxious villagers and priests performing śānti rites.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Adharma brings severe karmic results, and unusual natural phenomena are treated as signals for heightened ritual caution.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned; the verse focuses on karmic consequence and omens.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It introduces ominous conditions (out-of-season thunder, dust-rain) that connect to anadhyāya-style restraints continued in the next verse.