Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

अब्रह्मण्योऽव्रती भिक्षुर्दुष्टात्मा कपटी सदा । नार्हसि त्वं मम पुरः संभाषयितुमीश्वर

Transliteration

abrahmaṇyo'vratī bhikṣurduṣṭātmā kapaṭī sadā | nārhasi tvaṃ mama puraḥ saṃbhāṣayitumīśvara

Translation

നീ ബ്രാഹ്മണഹിതൈഷിയല്ല; വ്രതരഹിതൻ; പേരിനുള്ള ഭിക്ഷു, ഉള്ളിൽ ദുഷ്ടൻ, എപ്പോഴും കപടൻ. ഹേ ഈശ്വരാ, എന്റെ മുമ്പിൽ സംസാരിക്കാൻ നീ അർഹനല്ല।

Word by Word

• अब्रह्मण्यः: impious/hostile to Brahmins (non-brahmaṇya)
• अब्रह्मण्यः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ- (नञ्) + ब्रह्मण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नञ्-समासपूर्वक विशेषण

• अव्रती: without vows
• अव्रती: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ- (नञ्) + व्रतिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नञ्-समास; ‘व्रती’ (vow-observer) का निषेध

• भिक्षुः: mendicant/beggar
• भिक्षुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भिक्षु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• दुष्टात्मा: wicked-souled
• दुष्टात्मा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुष्ट (कृदन्त, √दुष्) + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (दुष्टः आत्मा यस्य/दुष्ट आत्मा)

• कपटी: deceitful
• कपटी: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कपटिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक निपात

• अर्हसि: are fit/are allowed
• अर्हसि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी, एकवचन

• पुरः: in front (of)
• पुरः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (in front of)

• संभाषयितुम्: to speak/converse
• संभाषयितुम्: Kriya-artha (Purpose/क्रियार्थ)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्+भाष् (धातु)
• Form: णिच्-प्रेरण (causative) ‘संभाषयति’; तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (infinitive)

• ईश्वर: O Lord
• ईश्वर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Devī (Pārvatī/Umā)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The goddess, stern and wounded, denounces the supposed mendicant as vowless and deceitful, refusing him the right to speak in her presence; the ascetic stands composed, hinting at concealed divinity.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Īśvara (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Hypocrisy and vowlessness negate spiritual authority; dharma demands integrity, restraint, and respect for sacred order.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is part of a Tīrthamāhātmya narrative frame in Nāgarakhaṇḍa, but the specific tīrtha is not named within this single shloka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed here; the emphasis is ethical—observance of vrata (vows) and truthful conduct.