Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

शास्त्रचौरः केकराक्षः कथां पुण्यां च द्वेष्टि यः । कृमिवक्त्रः स च भवेद्विभ्रष्टो नरकात्कुधीः

Transliteration

śāstracauraḥ kekarākṣaḥ kathāṃ puṇyāṃ ca dveṣṭi yaḥ | kṛmivaktraḥ sa ca bhavedvibhraṣṭo narakātkudhīḥ

Translation

ผู้ลักขโมยคัมภีร์ศาสตรา ย่อมบังเกิดเป็นคนตาเข. ผู้ใดเกลียดชังธรรมกถาอันเป็นบุญเป็นกุศล ผู้นั้นย่อมเกิดมามีปากเต็มด้วยหนอน; ผู้มีปัญญาชั่วนั้นตกต่ำด้วยผลนรก จึงปรากฏกายด้วยความทุกข์เช่นนี้.

Word by Word

• śāstra-cauraḥ: a thief of scriptures
• śāstra-cauraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāstra (प्रातिपदिक) + caura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शास्त्रस्य चौरः)

• kekara-akṣaḥ: one with squinting eyes
• kekara-akṣaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kekara (प्रातिपदिक) + akṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (केकरः अक्षी यस्य/केकराक्षः)

• kathām: a discourse/story
• kathām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kathā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• puṇyām: holy, meritorious
• puṇyām: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कथाम्)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• dveṣṭi: hates
• dveṣṭi: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dviṣ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• kṛmi-vaktraḥ: worm-faced
• kṛmi-vaktraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṛmi (प्रातिपदिक) + vaktra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कृमेः वक्त्रमिव/कृमिवक्त्रः)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; संकेतक-सर्वनाम (demonstrative)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• bhavet: would become
• bhavet: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• vibhraṣṭaḥ: fallen, degraded
• vibhraṣṭaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vi-bhraṣṭa (कृदन्त; √bhraṃś/भ्रंश् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past participle), विशेषणम् (सः)

• narakāt: from hell
• narakāt: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naraka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• kudhīḥ: a wicked-minded person
• kudhīḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ku-dhī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; गुणवाचक-नाम (one of evil intellect)

Speaker

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

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A solemn assembly where a narrator recites sacred kathā; beside it, symbolic karmic consequences: a manuscript-thief with crossed eyes and a man with a worm-ridden mouth turning away from the discourse; Yama’s shadowy realm hinted in the background.

Characters & Entities

• śāstra
• puṇya-kathā
• naraka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Respect for sacred knowledge and holy discourse is dharma; stealing or despising it leads to severe karmic affliction.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse glorifies śāstra and puṇya-kathā as sacred supports of dharma.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, hearing/reciting holy discourse (kathā-śravaṇa) is praised, though no formal rite is detailed.