Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

दुर्बलवृषवाही यः कटिलूती भवेत्स च

Transliteration

durbalavṛṣavāhī yaḥ kaṭilūtī bhavetsa ca

Translation

Sesiapa yang memaksa lembu jantan yang lemah menarik atau menanggung beban berlebihan akan lahir semula sebagai kaṭilūtī, makhluk hina yang merayap seperti parasit.

Word by Word

• दुर्बल-वृष-वाही: one who carries a weak bull
• दुर्बल-वृष-वाही: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्बल (प्रातिपदिक) + वृष (प्रातिपदिक) + वाहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (दुर्बलस्य वृषस्य) + उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (वृषं वहति)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम

• कटि-लूती: a spider at the waist / waist-spider (a deformity/mark)
• कटि-लूती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कटि (प्रातिपदिक) + लूती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कट्याः लूती)

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; निर्देश-सर्वनाम

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

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating to the sages (deduced from Māheśvara-khaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A frail bull, ribs visible, yoked and overburdened by a harsh driver; in the background a karmic vision shows the driver’s next birth as a low creeping parasite-like being (kaṭilūtī), emphasizing moral consequence.

Characters & Entities

• vṛṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Cruelty to vulnerable beings—especially working animals—returns as a degrading rebirth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is mentioned; the verse is a dharma-śikṣā (moral instruction).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it implies compassionate conduct and protection of animals as dharma.