Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

छलेन कन्याहरणात्पैशाचो गर्हितोऽष्टमः । प्रायः क्षत्रविशोरुक्ता गांधर्वासुरराक्षसाः

Transliteration

chalena kanyāharaṇātpaiśāco garhito'ṣṭamaḥ | prāyaḥ kṣatraviśoruktā gāṃdharvāsurarākṣasāḥ

Translation

छलाने कन्याहरण केल्याने जो आठवा ‘पैशाच’ विवाह, तो गर्ह्य मानला आहे. तसेच ‘गांधर्व’, ‘आसुर’ आणि ‘राक्षस’ हे प्रकार प्रायः क्षत्रिय व वैश्यांमध्ये अधिक सांगितले आहेत.

Word by Word

• chalena: by deceit
• chalena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: chala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3/तृतीया), एकवचन

• kanyā-haraṇāt: from abducting a maiden
• kanyā-haraṇāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kanyā (प्रातिपदिक) + haraṇa (प्रातिपदिक; √hṛ धातु)
• Form: समासः (तत्पुरुष) ‘कन्यायाः हरणम्’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5/पञ्चमी), एकवचन

• paiśācaḥ: the Paiśāca (form of marriage)
• paiśācaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paiśāca (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• garhitaḥ: is censured
• garhitaḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √garh (गर्ह्, धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्मणि ‘गर्हितः’

• aṣṭamaḥ: the eighth
• aṣṭamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/प्रथमा), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषणम्

• prāyaḥ: mostly
• prāyaḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prāyaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-विशेषण (adverb) ‘प्रायः’ (=mostly)

• kṣatra-viśoḥ: of the Kṣatriya and the Vaiśya
• kṣatra-viśoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣatra (प्रातिपदिक) + viś (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (द्वन्द्व) ‘क्षत्रं च विश् च’; षष्ठी (6/षष्ठी), द्विवचन

• uktāḥ: are said (to be)
• uktāḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच्, धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; कर्मणि ‘उक्ताः’

• gāndharva-asura-rākṣasāḥ: Gāndharva, Āsura, and Rākṣasa (forms)
• gāndharva-asura-rākṣasāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gāndharva (प्रातिपदिक) + asura (प्रातिपदिक) + rākṣasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः (द्वन्द्व) त्रयाणां समाहारः; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/प्रथमा), बहुवचन

Speaker

Parāśara

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cautionary tableau: a shadowed figure luring a maiden (Paiśāca) contrasted with a bright, orderly wedding scene in the background; marginal notes/figures representing Kṣatriya and Vaiśya households to indicate sociological association.

Characters & Entities

• Parāśara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Deceit and exploitation in marriage are strongly condemned; dharma evaluates social customs by ethical standards.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No holy site is named; the focus is social and moral dharma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A prohibition/condemnation of Paiśāca (deceitful taking) and a note on customary association of certain forms with varṇas.