Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

न ज्ञायते कुलं यस्य बीजशुद्धिं विना ततः । तस्य खादन्पिबन्वापि साधुः सीदति तत्क्षणात्

Transliteration

na jñāyate kulaṃ yasya bījaśuddhiṃ vinā tataḥ | tasya khādanpibanvāpi sādhuḥ sīdati tatkṣaṇāt

Translation

బీజశుద్ధిని నిర్ధారించకుండా ఎవరి కులం తెలియదో, అతని అన్నం లేదా నీటిని తిన్నా తాగినా సద్గుణుడైనా క్షణమాత్రంలోనే దుఃఖంలో పడతాడు.

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• ज्ञायते: is known
• ज्ञायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• कुलम्: family, lineage
• कुलम्: Karta (Subject in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• यस्य: whose
• यस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• बीजशुद्धिम्: purity of seed/lineage
• बीजशुद्धिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बीज-शुद्धि (प्रातिपदिक; बीज + शुद्धि)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (बीजस्य शुद्धिः)

• विना: without
• विना: Apadana (Ablative sense/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: अपादानार्थक-अव्यय (preposition-like indeclinable: 'without')

• ततः: therefore
• ततः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतुवाचक/अनन्तरवाचक-अव्यय (therefore/then)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• खादन्: eating
• खादन्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: खाद् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण (converbial participle)

• पिबन्: drinking
• पिबन्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प-अव्यय (or)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अपि-निपात (even/also)

• साधुः: a good man, a virtuous person
• साधुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साधु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• सीदति: falls into distress/perishes
• सीदति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• तत्क्षणात्: immediately
• तत्क्षणात्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्-क्षण (प्रातिपदिक; तत् + क्षण)
• Form: पञ्चमी-विभक्ति-एकवचन-रूपेण अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः (ablatival adverb: 'from that moment/instantly'); तत्पुरुष-समास

Speaker

Unspecified (context suggests a Purāṇic narrator in Māheśvarakhaṇḍa, likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa addressing sages)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nara

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic moment: Kālabhīti cites a rule—an image of a righteous ascetic inadvertently eating/drinking and immediately suffering misfortune, shown as a cautionary tableau.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity and discernment in accepting food/water are treated as immediate moral consequences in Dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned in this verse; it focuses on conduct (ācāra) rather than sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A cautionary rule about eating/drinking from questionable sources; no specific vrata, snāna, or dāna is stated.