Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

गुरुदाराभिलाषी च कृकलासो भवेच्चिरम् । जलप्रस्रवणं यस्तु भिन्द्यान्मत्स्यो भवेन्नरः

Transliteration

gurudārābhilāṣī ca kṛkalāso bhavecciram | jalaprasravaṇaṃ yastu bhindyānmatsyo bhavennaraḥ

Translation

ผู้ใดใคร่ภรรยาของครู ย่อมเป็นจิ้งจกอยู่เนิ่นนาน. และมนุษย์ผู้ทำลายทางระบายน้ำ ย่อมเกิดเป็นปลา.

Word by Word

• गुरुदाराभिलाषी: one who desires the wife of his teacher
• गुरुदाराभिलाषी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु + दारा + अभिलाषिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गुरोः दारान् अभिलाषते इति)

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

• कृकलासः: lizard
• कृकलासः: Karya/Phala (Result/फल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृकलास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• चिरम्: for a long time
• चिरम्: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चिरम् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• जलप्रस्रवणम्: water-outlet/drain
• जलप्रस्रवणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल + प्रस्रवण (प्रातिपदिक; √स्रु (धातु) + ल्युट्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (जलस्य प्रस्रवणम्)

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (relative pronoun)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषणार्थक-अव्यय (particle: but/indeed)

• भिन्द्यात्: should break/pierce
• भिन्द्यात्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भिद् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• मत्स्यः: fish
• मत्स्यः: Karya/Phala (Result/फल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत्स्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• नरः: man/person
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) milieu (contextual)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two-part moral scene: (1) a student casting a lustful glance toward the guru’s wife, with a lizard motif indicating future rebirth; (2) a man breaking a water spout/sluice at a tank or canal, with fish imagery emerging from his shadow.

Characters & Entities

• guru
• dārā (wife)
• jala-prasravaṇa (water outlet)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reverence for the guru’s household and protection of communal water systems are treated as sacred duties; violating them causes degrading rebirth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned in the provided verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it enforces dharma through prohibitions—do not violate the guru’s household and do not damage water outlets.