Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

मर्मांतिकं महादोषं ब्रह्मघ्नः स प्रकीर्तितः । ब्राह्मणं यः समाहूय याचमानमकिंचनम्

Transliteration

marmāṃtikaṃ mahādoṣaṃ brahmaghnaḥ sa prakīrtitaḥ | brāhmaṇaṃ yaḥ samāhūya yācamānamakiṃcanam

Translation

മർമം തുളയ്ക്കുന്ന മഹാദോഷം ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ ബ്രഹ്മഹന്താവെന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധൻ. ഭിക്ഷ യാചിക്കുന്ന നിർധന ബ്രാഹ്മണനെ വിളിച്ചു (അവമാനിക്കുന്നവൻ).

Word by Word

• मर्मान्तिकम्: piercing to the core/heart-cutting
• मर्मान्तिकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (मर्मणि अन्तिकम्/मर्म-सम्बद्धम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘महादोषम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• महादोषम्: a great fault
• महादोषम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (महान् दोषः), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ब्रह्मघ्नः: a Brahmin-slayer
• ब्रह्मघ्नः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + √हन् (धातु) (घ्न-प्रत्यय)
• Form: उपपद-तत्पुरुष, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रकीर्तितः: is declared/proclaimed
• प्रकीर्तितः: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र√कीर्त्/√कीर्तय् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगे विधेय (is proclaimed)

• ब्राह्मणम्: a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक

• समाहूय: having summoned
• समाहूय: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्-आ-√ह्वा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वक्रिया (having called)

• याचमानम्: begging/asking
• याचमानम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √याच् (धातु) + शानच् (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शानच्-प्रत्ययान्त (present participle, आत्मनेपद-भाव), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘ब्राह्मणम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

• अकिञ्चनम्: destitute/without possessions
• अकिञ्चनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ (नञ्) + किञ्चन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नञ्-तत्पुरुष (किञ्चनं न अस्ति यस्य), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘ब्राह्मणम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषण

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A poor brāhmaṇa with begging bowl stands at a doorway; a householder gestures him inside with apparent welcome. The moral tension is shown by the householder’s conflicted face and the brāhmaṇa’s trusting posture.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

To toy with a destitute brāhmaṇa’s hope—after calling him for aid—is condemned as a deeply wounding offense akin to brahmahatyā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None is mentioned; the theme is dharma of charity and truthful conduct.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, it upholds dāna (giving) and forbids deceitful refusal toward a petitioner.