Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

सप्तमेऽहनि विप्रेंद्रो दरिद्रो धनकामुकः । अत्रांतरे तक्षकोऽपि विप्ररूपी समाययौ

Transliteration

saptame'hani vipreṃdro daridro dhanakāmukaḥ | atrāṃtare takṣako'pi viprarūpī samāyayau

Translation

ครั้นถึงวันที่เจ็ด พราหมณ์ผู้ประเสริฐนั้น แม้ยากจนแต่ใฝ่ทรัพย์ ก็ออกเดินทางไป และในระหว่างนั้นเอง ทักษกะก็มาในคราบพราหมณ์

Word by Word

• saptame: on the seventh
• saptame: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: saptama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषण (ordinal adjective)

• ahani: day
• ahani: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ahan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• vipra-indraḥ: chief of the brāhmaṇas
• vipra-indraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक) + indra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (viprāṇām indraḥ)

• daridraḥ: poor
• daridraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: daridra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषण

• dhana-kāmukaḥ: desirous of wealth
• dhana-kāmukaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhana (प्रातिपदिक) + kāmuka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (dhanasya kāmukaḥ)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• antare: in the meantime/interval
• antare: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; ‘अन्तरे’ = ‘अन्तरेण/मध्ये’ अर्थे

• takṣakaḥ: Takṣaka (the serpent)
• takṣakaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: takṣaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• api: also/even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• vipra-rūpī: in the form of a brāhmaṇa
• vipra-rūpī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (viprasya rūpī)

• samāyayau: came/arrived
• samāyayau: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√yā (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्षभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice within Setukhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Setu / Setubandha (Rāmeśvara-kṣetra frame)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dusty pilgrimage road near the sea; a poor yet dignified brāhmaṇa traveler (Kāśyapa) walking with resolve; another brāhmaṇa arrives—eyes sharp, aura serpentine—Takṣaka in disguise; the air feels charged with impending doom.

Characters & Entities

• Takṣaka
• Vipra (brāhmaṇa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Desire for wealth can make even the learned vulnerable; dharma requires discernment when appearances deceive.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is the Setu Māhātmya (Setu/Rāmeśvara region), though this verse itself advances an illustrative narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated here; it is narrative setup.