Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

दुर्मार्गनिरतो भूत्वा नाशृणोत्पितृभा षितम् । धूलिकेलिं समारभ्य दुर्मार्गनिरतोऽभवत्

Transliteration

durmārganirato bhūtvā nāśṛṇotpitṛbhā ṣitam | dhūlikeliṃ samārabhya durmārganirato'bhavat

Translation

เมื่อหมกมุ่นในทางชั่ว เขามิได้ใส่ใจคำตักเตือนของบิดา ครั้นเริ่มเล่นซุกซนในฝุ่นดิน เขาก็ยิ่งผูกพันกับความผิดและทางอธรรมมากขึ้น

Word by Word

• दुर्मार्गनिरतः: engaged in a bad path
• दुर्मार्गनिरतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर् (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + निरत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √रम्/रि)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त ‘निरत’; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (दुर्मार्गे निरतः)

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Adverbial (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund): ‘having become’

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• अशृणोत्: he heard
• अशृणोत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतन-भूत), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• पितृभाषितम्: what was spoken by the father
• पितृभाषितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक) + भाषित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √भाष्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) ‘भाषित’; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पितुः भाषितम्)

• धूलिकेलिम्: playing in dust
• धूलिकेलिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धूलि (प्रातिपदिक) + केलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (धूल्या केलिः)

• समारभ्य: having taken up
• समारभ्य: Adverbial (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्-आ-रभ् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund): ‘having undertaken’

• दुर्मार्गनिरतः: engaged in a bad path
• दुर्मार्गनिरतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर् (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + मार्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + निरत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (दुर्मार्गे निरतः)

• अभवत्: became
• अभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (अनद्यतन-भूत), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual, likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa in Brāhma Khaṇḍa narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu (Setubandha/Rāma-setu)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The eighth son, Duṣpaṇya, turns away from his father’s instruction, crouching to play in dust while others work—his posture and gaze show stubbornness and moral drift.

Characters & Entities

• Duṣpaṇya
• Paśumān

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ignoring wise counsel and indulging in frivolous mischief can harden into habitual adharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None is named; the verse is ethical narration within Setukhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.