Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

तांबूलं भक्षयन्तो ये कथां शृण्वंति पावनीम् । स्वविष्ठां खादयंत्येतान्नरके यमकिंकराः

Transliteration

tāṃbūlaṃ bhakṣayanto ye kathāṃ śṛṇvaṃti pāvanīm | svaviṣṭhāṃ khādayaṃtyetānnarake yamakiṃkarāḥ

Translation

ผู้ใดเคี้ยวตัมบูละ (หมาก/พลู) ไปพร้อมกับฟังธรรมกถาอันชำระบาป ในแดนนรก บ่าวของพระยมจะบังคับให้ผู้นั้นกินอุจจาระของตนเอง

Word by Word

• ताम्बूलम्: betel (leaf/quid)
• ताम्बूलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ताम्बूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• भक्षयन्तः: eating
• भक्षयन्तः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ/Present active participle), परस्मैपदी; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ये इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• कथाम्: story
• कथाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• शृण्वन्ति: listen
• शृण्वन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• पावनीम्: purifying
• पावनीम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पावनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणं—कथाम्

• स्व-विष्ठाम्: their own excrement
• स्व-विष्ठाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + विष्ठा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (स्वस्य विष्ठा)

• खादयन्ति: feed (make eat) / cause to eat
• खादयन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: खाद् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; णिच्-प्रयोग (causative sense possible by context: 'make eat')

• एतान्: these (persons)
• एतान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• नरके: in hell
• नरके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नरक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• यम-किंकराः: servants of Yama
• यम-किंकराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यम (प्रातिपदिक) + किंकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (यमस्य किंकराः)

Speaker

Unknown (context not supplied; likely a purāṇic narrator within Brahmottarakhaṇḍa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A kathā gathering where one listener chews betel; the scene transitions symbolically to Yama’s attendants in a dark naraka forcing the offender to consume filth—moralized, cautionary imagery.

Characters & Entities

• Yama

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred listening is a ritual act; casual or impure behavior during kathā is treated as an offense.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None is specified; the focus is on universal kathā-śravaṇa etiquette.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Avoid chewing/eating (here, tāmbūla) while hearing purāṇic kathā.