Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 81

Devanagari script

शुनोमुख उवाच । वेदान्स पठतु न्यायाद्गृहस्थः स्यात्प्रियातिथिः । सत्यं वदतु चाजस्रं बिसस्तैन्यं करोति यः

Transliteration

śunomukha uvāca | vedānsa paṭhatu nyāyādgṛhasthaḥ syātpriyātithiḥ | satyaṃ vadatu cājasraṃ bisastainyaṃ karoti yaḥ

Translation

شونومکھ نے کہا: گھرستھ کو چاہیے کہ نیائے کے مطابق ویدوں کا پٹھن کرے، مہمانوں کو عزیز رکھے، اور لگاتار سچ بولے۔ مگر جو بسہ (کنول کی ڈنڈی) کی چوری کرے—وہ دھرم سے گرتا اور گناہ کا مستحق ہوتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• शुनोमुखः: Śunomukha (dog-faced; name)
• शुनोमुखः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुन्/श्वन् (प्रातिपदिक) + मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• वेदान्: the Vedas
• वेदान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• पठतु: let (him) recite
• पठतु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पठ् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• न्यायात्: according to proper rule/from propriety
• न्यायात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: न्याय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative), एकवचन (Singular)

• गृहस्थः: householder
• गृहस्थः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृहस्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• स्यात्: should be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• प्रियातिथिः: a dear/welcoming host to guests
• प्रियातिथिः: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate nominative/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक) + अतिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• सत्यम्: truth
• सत्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• वदतु: let (him) speak
• वदतु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction)

• अजस्रम्: unceasingly
• अजस्रम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अजस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• बिसस्तैन्यम्: theft of lotus-stalks
• बिसस्तैन्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बिस (प्रातिपदिक) + स्तैन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन (Singular)

• करोति: commits
• करोति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• यः: who (he)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Śunomukha

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: assembly within the narrative (sages/companions implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śunomukha instructs: a householder recites Veda with discipline, welcomes guests with water and seat, speaks truth; beside the lotus pond, a cautionary image of someone stealing lotus-stalks as the fall from dharma.

Characters & Entities

• Śunomukha
• Veda
• Gṛhastha
• Atithi
• Satya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It upholds gṛhastha-dharma: study the Vedas rightly, honor guests, and practice unwavering truthfulness, while warning against even seemingly small acts of theft.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is framed within the Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya section, but the specific tīrtha name is not stated in the given snippet.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite (snāna, dāna, japa, vrata) is prescribed here; the instruction is ethical and dharmic—Vedic study by proper rule, hospitality, truthfulness, and avoidance of theft.