Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

पितृमातृपरित्यागी तथाच गुरुतल्पगः । निर्द्दोषां यस्त्यजेत्पत्नीं कृतघ्नो यश्च कर्षुकः

Transliteration

pitṛmātṛparityāgī tathāca gurutalpagaḥ | nirddoṣāṃ yastyajetpatnīṃ kṛtaghno yaśca karṣukaḥ

Translation

പിതാമാതാക്കളെ ഉപേക്ഷിക്കുന്നവൻ, ഗുരുതൽപഗൻ (ഗുരുപത്നീഗാമി), നിർദോഷയായ ഭാര്യയെ തള്ളുന്നവൻ, കൃതഘ്നൻ, കൂടാതെ കർഷുകൻ (ഇവിടെ നിന്ദിത/അയോഗ്യൻ) — ഇവരെ ശ്രാദ്ധത്തിൽ വర్జിക്കണം.

Word by Word

• pitṛ-mātṛ-parityāgī: one who abandons father and mother
• pitṛ-mātṛ-parityāgī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + parityāgin (प्रातिपदिक; √tyaj)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘पितृमातृ’ इति द्वन्द्वः, तत्र ‘परित्यागी’ इति बहुव्रीहि/तत्पुरुषार्थे समासान्तः (पितरौ मातरं च परित्यजति)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थ

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

• guru-talpagaḥ: one who violates the teacher’s bed (sexual offender)
• guru-talpagaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guru (प्रातिपदिक) + talpa (प्रातिपदिक) + ga (प्रातिपदिक; √gam)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (गुरोः तल्पं गच्छति/सेवते)

• nir-doṣām: blameless
• nir-doṣām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nir + doṣā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘निर्दोषा’ (=दोषरहिता) इति निः-पूर्वक-तत्पुरुषः; विशेषण

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tyajet: should abandon
• tyajet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tyaj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• patnīm: wife
• patnīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patnī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• kṛta-ghnaḥ: ingrate
• kṛta-ghnaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + ghna (प्रातिपदिक; √han)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (कृतं हन्ति/नाशयति—उपकारघ्नः)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

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

• karṣukaḥ: ploughman/peasant
• karṣukaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karṣuka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A moral tableau: figures representing abandonment of parents, violation of guru’s bed, rejection of a blameless wife, and ingratitude—shown as shadows outside the śrāddha pavilion, barred from the brāhmaṇa row.

Characters & Entities

• Śrāddha
• Guru
• Pitṛs

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Grave breaches of gratitude, family duty, and guru-reverence undermine the sanctity required to represent the Pitṛs in śrāddha.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A prohibition list: certain serious ethical offenders are deemed unfit for śrāddha participation.