Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

ततः काले चं कस्मिंश्चिदवमेने च तां पिता । मुमूर्षुः पापसंकल्पो दुरात्मा कुलकज्जलः

Transliteration

tataḥ kāle caṃ kasmiṃścidavamene ca tāṃ pitā | mumūrṣuḥ pāpasaṃkalpo durātmā kulakajjalaḥ

Translation

ତାପରେ କିଛି କାଳ ପରେ ତାହାର ପିତା ତାକୁ ଅବମାନ କଲା। ପାପସଙ୍କଳ୍ପୀ, ଦୁଷ୍ଟଚିତ୍ତ ଓ କୁଳକଳଙ୍କ—ସେ ତିରସ୍କାରରେ ଆଚରଣ କଲା।

Word by Word

• tataḥ: thereafter
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — ‘ततः’ = ‘तस्मात्/तदनन्तरम्’ (thereafter/from that)

• kāle: at a time
• kāle: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — ‘काले’ (in time/at a time)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक-निपात) — conjunction ‘and’

• kasmiṃcit: in some (occasion)
• kasmiṃcit: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim + cit (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक + निपात)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (प्रयोगे), सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन — ‘कस्मिंचित्’ (in some [time/place])

• avamene: insulted
• avamene: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava√man (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपद — ‘अवमेने’ (he insulted/disrespected)

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

• tām: her
• tām: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — ‘ताम्’ (her)

• pitā: the father
• pitā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — ‘पिता’ (father)

• mumūrṣuḥ: desiring to die
• mumūrṣuḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √mṛ + u (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (उणादि/इच्छार्थक), ‘मुमूर्षु’ = मरणे इच्छुकः; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — (desirous of dying)

• pāpa-saṃkalpaḥ: evil-intentioned
• pāpa-saṃkalpaḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃkalpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कर्मधारयवत् अर्थः: ‘पापः संकल्पः यस्य’/‘पापसंकल्पः’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• durātmā: wicked-souled
• durātmā: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (दुष्ट आत्मा = ‘दुरात्मा’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• kula-kajjalaḥ: a stain on the family
• kula-kajjalaḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kula (प्रातिपदिक) + kajjala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कुलस्य कज्जलः = ‘family’s soot/stain’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A tense domestic-court scene: the father, proud and contemptuous, publicly insults the Devī; attendants recoil; an ominous stillness suggests impending cosmic rupture.

Characters & Entities

• Dakṣa (implied as father)
• Satī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Disrespect toward the divine (and toward dharma) becomes a moral downfall and brings ruinous consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is praised in this verse; it is a narrative warning within the Satī–Dakṣa episode.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is descriptive, highlighting the fault of avamāna (insult).