Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

विनाशकारणं मुख्यं परदारप्रधर्षणम् । सकर्णः श्रुतिहीनोऽसौ पश्यन्नंधो वदञ्जडः

Transliteration

vināśakāraṇaṃ mukhyaṃ paradārapradharṣaṇam | sakarṇaḥ śrutihīno'sau paśyannaṃdho vadañjaḍaḥ

Translation

ਵਿਨਾਸ ਦਾ ਸਭ ਤੋਂ ਮੁੱਖ ਕਾਰਣ ਪਰਾਏ ਦੀ ਪਤਨੀ ਦਾ ਅਪਮਾਨ ਕਰਨਾ ਹੈ। ਕੰਨ ਹੋਣ ਤੇ ਵੀ ਉਹ ਬਹਿਰਾ ਜਿਹਾ, ਵੇਖਦਿਆਂ ਵੀ ਅੰਨ੍ਹਾ, ਬੋਲਦਿਆਂ ਵੀ ਜੜ੍ਹ ਮੂਰਖ ਬਣ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• vināśa-kāraṇam: cause of destruction
• vināśa-kāraṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vināśa (प्रातिपदिक) + kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• mukhyam: principal, chief
• mukhyam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mukhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular; adjective)

• para-dāra-pradharṣaṇam: violation/assault of another’s wife
• para-dāra-pradharṣaṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक) + dāra (प्रातिपदिक) + pradharṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular)

• sa-karṇaḥ: having ears (yet)
• sa-karṇaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa (उपसर्ग/सह-अर्थक अव्यय) + karṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Nom., Singular; adjective)

• śruti-hīnaḥ: devoid of hearing
• śruti-hīnaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śruti (प्रातिपदिक) + hīna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Masculine, Nom., Singular; adjective)

• asau: that person, he
• asau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adas (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (Masculine, Nom., Singular; pronoun)

• paśyan: seeing (though)
• paśyan: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dṛś (धातु) → paśyat (कृदन्त, शतृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Masculine, Nom., Singular; present active participle)

• andhaḥ: a blind man
• andhaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: andha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nom., Singular)

• vadan: speaking (yet)
• vadan: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vad (धातु) → vadat (कृदन्त, शतृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (Masculine, Nom., Singular; present active participle)

• jaḍaḥ: a dullard, inert one
• jaḍaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jaḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Nom., Singular)

Speaker

Unspecified narrator (within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa discourse, likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhūpāla (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic court-scene: a sage admonishes a king; behind them, allegorical figures show a man with ears yet not hearing, eyes yet blind, mouth speaking yet foolish—symbolizing dharma-loss through lust.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sexual misconduct toward another’s spouse is declared a principal doorway to ruin, clouding judgment and conscience.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No sacred geography appears here; it is a general dharma teaching.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it functions as a strong ethical injunction to avoid paradāra.