Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

अवस्थानं न लेभेऽसौ ग्रामे वाप्याश्रमेऽपि वा । यान्यान्देशानसौ यातस्तत्रतत्रमहाजनैः

Transliteration

avasthānaṃ na lebhe'sau grāme vāpyāśrame'pi vā | yānyāndeśānasau yātastatratatramahājanaiḥ

Translation

เขามิได้ที่พำนักเลย ทั้งในหมู่บ้านหรือแม้ในอาศรม และไม่ว่าเขาจะไปยังแคว้นใด ที่นั่นๆ เหล่ามหาชนผู้เป็นผู้นำชุมชนก็ออกมาประจันหน้าเขา

Word by Word

• अवस्थानम्: a place to stay, residence
• अवस्थानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अवस्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध/negation particle)

• लेभे: obtained, found
• लेभे: Kriyā (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• असौ: he
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सर्वनाम (this/he)

• ग्रामे: in a village
• ग्रामे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• वा: or
• वा: Vikalpa (Alternative/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विकल्प/ disjunctive particle): or

• अपि: even, also
• अपि: Sambandha-bodhaka (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्भावना/समुच्चयार्थक particle): even/also

• आश्रमे: in an hermitage
• आश्रमे: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• वा: or
• वा: Vikalpa (Alternative/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विकल्प/ disjunctive particle): or

• यानि: which (places)
• यानि: Karma (Object—places gone to/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम (relative)

• यान्: which (regions)
• यान्: Viśeṣaṇa (Correlative with देशान्/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम (relative)

• देशान्: countries, regions
• देशान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• असौ: he
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• यातः: went
• यातः: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया-सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु) → यात (कृदन्त/क्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle/क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तरि: ‘gone’

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Place adjunct/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देशवाचक/locative adverb): there

• तत्र: there (again)
• तत्र: Deśa-adhikaraṇa (Place adjunct/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (पुनरुक्ति/emphatic repetition): here and there

• महाजनैः: by eminent people
• महाजनैः: Karana/Agent-in-passive (Instrumental agent/कर्तृ-तृतीया)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + जन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (महान्तः जनाः = great/important people)

Speaker

Purāṇic narrator

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages/Brāhmaṇas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The brāhmaṇa stands at village gates and hermitage entrances, palms joined, but elders and householders block him; repeated scenes across different regions convey relentless confrontation by local leaders.

Characters & Entities

• Mahājana
• Āśrama
• Grāma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It stresses accountability: when one loses dharmic credibility, even sacred spaces and communities may deny shelter.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is mentioned; the verse describes social exclusion across regions.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.