Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 88

Devanagari script

कौमारे कर्णवेधेन मातापित्रोर्विताडनैः । अक्षराध्ययनाद्यैश्च दुःखं स्याद्गुरुशासनात्

Transliteration

kaumāre karṇavedhena mātāpitrorvitāḍanaiḥ | akṣarādhyayanādyaiśca duḥkhaṃ syādguruśāsanāt

Translation

കൗമാരത്തിൽ കർണവേധം മൂലം, മാതാപിതാക്കളുടെ ശിക്ഷ മൂലം, അക്ഷരപഠനം മുതലായവ മൂലം ദുഃഖം ഉണ്ടാകുന്നു; ഗുരുവിന്റെ ശാസനയാലും കഷ്ടം വരുന്നു.

Word by Word

• kaumāre: in childhood
• kaumāre: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaumāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; ‘कौमार’ अवस्था (locative: “in childhood”)

• karṇa-vedhena: by ear-piercing
• karṇa-vedhena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + vedha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; कर्णस्य वेधः इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• mātā-pitroḥ: of the mother and father
• mātā-pitroḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (समाहार-द्वन्द्वे), षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), द्विवचन; माता च पिता च (genitive dual: “of mother and father”)

• vitāḍanaiḥ: by beatings/strikings
• vitāḍanaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vi + tāḍana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; ‘विताडन’ = प्रहार/ताडन (instrumental plural)

• akṣara-adhyayana-ādyaiḥ: by learning letters etc.
• akṣara-adhyayana-ādyaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: akṣara (प्रातिपदिक) + adhyayana (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; अक्षराणाम् अध्ययनम् इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः, ‘आदि’समासान्तेन अन्यान्यपि

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha/Connector (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• duḥkham: suffering
• duḥkham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• syāt: would be/arises
• syāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √as (धा)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• guru-śāsanāt: from the teacher’s discipline/punishment
• guru-śāsanāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guru (प्रातिपदिक) + śāsana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; गुरोः शासनम् इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः; हेत्वर्थे (ablative of cause)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa narrative convention)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A boy undergoing karṇavedha with elders present; a teacher holding a palm-leaf manuscript and stylus; the child’s mixed fear and resolve; the scene balanced to show dharma’s structure yet the pain of formation.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the formative stage of learning and saṃskāras involves hardship; hence one should not imagine worldly life as uninterrupted ease.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is referenced in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Karṇavedha (ear-piercing) is mentioned as a life-rite/saṃskāra contextually, but no procedure or vow is prescribed here.