Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

विनाशकारणं मुख्यं परदारप्रधर्षणम् । सकर्णः श्रुतिहीनोऽसौ पश्यन्नंधो वदञ्जडः

Transliteration

vināśakāraṇaṃ mukhyaṃ paradārapradharṣaṇam | sakarṇaḥ śrutihīno'sau paśyannaṃdho vadañjaḍaḥ

Translation

നാശത്തിന്റെ മുഖ്യകാരണം പരസ്ത്രീയെ അപമാനിച്ച് ലംഘിക്കുന്നതുതന്നെ. അവന്‍ ചെവിയുണ്ടെങ്കിലും ബധിരനെന്നപോലെ, കണ്ടാലും അന്ധനെന്നപോലെ, പറഞ്ഞാലും ജഡമൂഢനെന്നപോലെ ആകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• vināśa-kāraṇam: cause of destruction
• vināśa-kāraṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vināśa (प्रातिपदिक) + kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• mukhyam: principal, chief
• mukhyam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mukhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular; adjective)

• para-dāra-pradharṣaṇam: violation/assault of another’s wife
• para-dāra-pradharṣaṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक) + dāra (प्रातिपदिक) + pradharṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• sa-karṇaḥ: having ears (yet)
• sa-karṇaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (उपसर्ग/सह-अर्थक अव्यय) + karṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Nom., Singular; adjective)

• śruti-hīnaḥ: devoid of hearing
• śruti-hīnaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śruti (प्रातिपदिक) + hīna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Nom., Singular; adjective)

• asau: that person, he
• asau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (Masculine, Nom., Singular; pronoun)

• paśyan: seeing (though)
• paśyan: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dṛś (धातु) → paśyat (कृदन्त, शतृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Masculine, Nom., Singular; present active participle)

• andhaḥ: a blind man
• andhaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: andha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nom., Singular)

• vadan: speaking (yet)
• vadan: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vad (धातु) → vadat (कृदन्त, शतृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Masculine, Nom., Singular; present active participle)

• jaḍaḥ: a dullard, inert one
• jaḍaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jaḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nom., Singular)

Speaker

Unspecified narrator (within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa discourse, likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhūpāla (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic court-scene: a sage admonishes a king; behind them, allegorical figures show a man with ears yet not hearing, eyes yet blind, mouth speaking yet foolish—symbolizing dharma-loss through lust.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sexual misconduct toward another’s spouse is declared a principal doorway to ruin, clouding judgment and conscience.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No sacred geography appears here; it is a general dharma teaching.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it functions as a strong ethical injunction to avoid paradāra.