Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

पुनर्दुर्बोधविन्यासः श्लोकस्तैर्विप्रपुंगवैः । आख्यातुं शक्यते नैव गुडो मूकैर्यथा मुने

Transliteration

punardurbodhavinyāsaḥ ślokastairviprapuṃgavaiḥ | ākhyātuṃ śakyate naiva guḍo mūkairyathā mune

Translation

Nhưng bài kệ ấy được sắp đặt theo lối khó thấu hiểu, đến cả những bậc brāhmaṇa ưu tú cũng không thể giảng giải—như người câm không thể truyền đạt vị ngọt của đường thốt nốt, hỡi hiền triết.

Word by Word

• punar: again
• punar: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punar (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/पुनरावृत्ति-वाचक-अव्यय (adverb: again)

• durbodha-vinyāsaḥ: a difficult arrangement/structure
• durbodha-vinyāsaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dur-bodha (प्रातिपदिक) + vinyāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (durbodhasya vinyāsaḥ = arrangement hard to understand)

• ślokaḥ: the verse
• ślokaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śloka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• taiḥ: by them
• taiḥ: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन (Plural)

• vipra-puṃgavaiḥ: by the foremost Brahmins
• vipra-puṃgavaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक) + puṃgava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन (Plural); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (viprāṇāṃ puṃgavāḥ = foremost of Brahmins)

• ākhyātum: to explain
• ākhyātum: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā√khyā (धातु)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive)

• śakyate: is possible/can be
• śakyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śak (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation)

• eva: at all/indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• guḍaḥ: jaggery
• guḍaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन (Singular)

• mūkaiḥ: by the mute (people)
• mūkaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन (Plural)

• yathā: as/like
• yathā: Sambandha (Simile marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमा-वाचक-अव्यय (comparative particle: as/like)

• mune: O sage
• mune: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa (deduced)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: muni (addressed as ‘O sage’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Foremost brāhmaṇas sit with furrowed brows around a manuscript; despite debate, the meaning eludes them. In a symbolic inset, a mute person holds jaggery, unable to convey its sweetness.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas (vipra-puṅgava)
• Dāna verse (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Some dharma teachings require realized insight and precise tradition to interpret; mere learning may not suffice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it continues the narrative set in a sacred region while focusing on interpretive difficulty.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; the verse underscores the need for an authoritative explanation of the dāna teaching.