Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

विश्रब्धस्यापहारी तु दुःखानां भाजनं भवेत् । धार्मिके क्षुद्रकारी यो नरः स वामनो भवेत्

Transliteration

viśrabdhasyāpahārī tu duḥkhānāṃ bhājanaṃ bhavet | dhārmike kṣudrakārī yo naraḥ sa vāmano bhavet

Translation

ผู้ใดลักทรัพย์จากผู้ที่ไว้วางใจตน ย่อมเป็นภาชนะรองรับความทุกข์ทั้งหลาย และผู้ใดกระทำความต่ำช้าต่อผู้ทรงธรรม ย่อมเกิดใหม่เป็นคนแคระ

Word by Word

• विश्रब्धस्य: of a trusting person
• विश्रब्धस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विश्रब्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; ‘विश्रब्ध’ = trusting/unsuspecting

• अपहारी: a thief/robber
• अपहारी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अप-हृ (धातु)
• Form: णिनि-प्रत्ययान्त कर्तृवाचक (agent noun): ‘अपहारी’ (one who steals); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle)

• दुःखानाम्: of sufferings
• दुःखानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• भाजनम्: a receptacle/recipient
• भाजनम्: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-सम्बन्धी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

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

• धार्मिके: towards a righteous person
• धार्मिके: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धार्मिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन; अधिकरण (locative): ‘धार्मिके’ (towards/in the case of a righteous person)

• क्षुद्रकारी: one who acts meanly
• क्षुद्रकारी: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षुद्र-कारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘क्षुद्रं करोति’ इति उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (one who does petty/mean acts)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• नरः: man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; निर्देश (correlative pronoun)

• वामनः: a dwarf
• वामनः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-सम्बन्धी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वामन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

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

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta), narrating to the sages (deduced from Māheśvara-khaṇḍa context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A traveler entrusted with a pouch by a friend; he secretly takes it. Immediately, sorrow-figures gather around him. In a second vignette, he mocks a saintly person; his own figure is shown shrinking, symbolizing dwarf rebirth.

Characters & Entities

• dhārmika

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Betraying trust and belittling the righteous bring intense karmic suffering and degraded rebirth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified; the focus is moral causality (karmavipāka).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is an ethical warning against theft and petty cruelty.