Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 86

Devanagari script

भूताष्टम्योः पञ्चदश्योर्ब्रह्मचारी सदा भवेत् । अनायुष्यकरं चेह परदारोपसर्पणम् । तस्मात्तद्दूरतस्त्याज्य वैरिणां चोपसेवनम्

Transliteration

bhūtāṣṭamyoḥ pañcadaśyorbrahmacārī sadā bhavet | anāyuṣyakaraṃ ceha paradāropasarpaṇam | tasmāttaddūratastyājya vairiṇāṃ copasevanam

Translation

ഭൂതാഷ്ടമിയിലും പഞ്ചദശിയിലും എപ്പോഴും ബ്രഹ്മചര്യത്തിൽ സ്ഥിരനാകണം. പരസ്ത്രീസമീപം ചെല്ലൽ ഇവിടെ ആയുസ്സിനെ ഹരിക്കുന്നതാണ്; അതിനാൽ അതിനെ ദൂരത്തുനിന്നുതന്നെ ഉപേക്ഷിക്കണം, ശത്രുക്കളുടെ സഖ്യ-സേവയും ത്യജിക്കണം।

Word by Word

• भूताष्टम्योः: of (the days) Bhūtā and Aṣṭamī
• भूताष्टम्योः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूता + अष्टमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (समाहार-द्वन्द्व), षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), द्विवचन; द्वन्द्वः—भूता च अष्टमी च; तयोः ‘-yoḥ’ = genitive dual

• पञ्चदश्योः: of the two fifteenth days
• पञ्चदश्योः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चदशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), द्विवचन; ‘pañcadaśī’ = 15th lunar day; here dual (two 15ths: pūrṇimā/amāvāsyā)

• ब्रह्मचारी: a brahmacārin (celibate student)
• ब्रह्मचारी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मचारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; ‘brahmacārin’ = celibate student

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kaala (Temporal adverb/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: always)

• भवेत्: should be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd/प्रथम), एकवचन; धातु: भू (सत्तायाम्)

• अनायुष्यकरम्: life-shortening, harmful to longevity
• अनायुष्यकरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनायुṣ्य + कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः—अनायुṣ्यं करोति इति; विशेषणम् (of ‘paradāropasarpaṇam’)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• इह: here (in this world)
• इह: Desha (Locative adverb/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (deictic adverb: here/in this world)

• परदारोपसर्पणम्: approaching another’s wife
• परदारोपसर्पणम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर + दार + उपसर्पण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः—परस्य दाराः = परदाराः, तेषाम् उपसर्पणम् = परदारोपसर्पणम्

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तस्मात् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक: तद्)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगवत् निपात (indeclinable in sense: therefore/from that reason); मूलतः तद्-प्रातिपदिकस्य पञ्चमी-एकवचनरूपम्

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; ‘that’ (referring to the act)

• दूरतः: from far away
• दूरतः: Desha (Adverbial/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दूरतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: from afar/at a distance)

• त्याज्यम्: should be abandoned/avoided
• त्याज्यम्: Kriya (Predicative necessity/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: त्यज् (धातु)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्यय (gerundive) ‘-य’ (यत्/ण्यत्-भाव), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; धातु: त्यज् (परित्यागे); अर्थः ‘to be abandoned/should be avoided’

• वैरिणाम्: of enemies
• वैरिणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैरिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• उपसेवनम्: association/attendance (on)
• उपसेवनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उप + सेव (धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; धातु: सेव् (सेवायाम्) उपसर्ग: उप; कृत्-प्रत्यय: ल्युट् (action noun)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhūtāṣṭamī (observance day)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vow-taking scene: a youth ties a vow-knot, stands before a small fire and water-pot; in the shadows, a seductive figure and a hostile emissary are shown being turned away at a distance.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Self-restraint safeguards life and merit; immoral desire and hostile company drain vitality and dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse gives a vrata-like ethical discipline within the Dharmāraṇya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It prescribes brahmacarya observance on Bhūtāṣṭamī and pañcadaśī as a discipline of purity.