Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 140

Devanagari script

ब्रह्मस्वं विबुधस्वं च तडागोत्थं विशेषतः । भक्षितं स्वल्पमप्यत्र नाश येत्सर्वपूर्वजान्

Transliteration

brahmasvaṃ vibudhasvaṃ ca taḍāgotthaṃ viśeṣataḥ | bhakṣitaṃ svalpamapyatra nāśa yetsarvapūrvajān

Translation

“ബ്രാഹ്മണരുടെ സമ്പത്തും ദേവസമ്പത്തും—പ്രത്യേകിച്ച് തടാകത്തിൽ നിന്നുയർന്ന ദാനസമ്പത്ത്—ഇവിടെ അല്പമെങ്കിലും ഉപഭോഗിച്ചാൽ അത് എല്ലാ പൂർവ്വികരെയും നശിപ്പിക്കുന്നു.”

Word by Word

• ब्रह्मस्वम्: property of Brahmins/sacred property
• ब्रह्मस्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + स्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुषः: ब्रह्मणः स्वम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• विबुधस्वम्: property of the wise/divine (Brahmins)
• विबुधस्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विबुध (प्रातिपदिक) + स्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुषः: विबुधानां स्वम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• तडागोत्थम्: arisen from a pond (pond-derived)
• तडागोत्थम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तडाग (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्थ (उद्-स्था/उद्-स्था?; here उत्थ = 'arisen', प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुषः: तडागात् उत्थम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (ब्रह्मस्वम्/विबुधस्वम्) इत्यस्य विशेषण

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेषतः (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: especially)

• भक्षितम्: consumed/eaten
• भक्षितम्: Vidhana (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भक्ष् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (स्वम्) इत्यस्य विधेय/विशेषण: 'eaten/consumed'

• स्वल्पम्: even a little
• स्वल्पम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रमाणवाचक-विशेषण

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावन/अप्यर्थक-अव्यय (particle: even/also)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• नाशयेत्: would destroy
• नाशयेत्: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश्/नाशय् (धातु; causative of नश्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative): 'would destroy'

• सर्वपूर्वजान्: all ancestors/forefathers
• सर्वपूर्वजान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + पूर्वज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (कर्मधारयः: सर्वे पूर्वजाः), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचन

Speaker

Brāhmaṇas

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Taḍāga (temple tank) endowment of Māṃkūla (implied)

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmins solemnly warn that consuming even a small portion of brahmin or deity property—especially from a tank endowment—destroys ancestors; the scene carries moral gravity with the temple tank implied nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas
• Devasva (temple property)
• Taḍāga (sacred tank/pond)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Misusing sacred or priestly property is portrayed as gravely destructive, harming one’s lineage and ancestral welfare.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A sacred tank (taḍāga) is referenced, but the specific named tīrtha is not given in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An ethical prohibition: do not consume/appropriate devasva or brahmasva, especially income connected with a sacred tank.