Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 79

Devanagari script

आदिशेद्वैदिकं मंत्रं न शूद्राय कदाचन । ब्राह्मण्या दीयते विप्रः शूद्रो धर्म्माच्च हीयते

Transliteration

ādiśedvaidikaṃ maṃtraṃ na śūdrāya kadācana | brāhmaṇyā dīyate vipraḥ śūdro dharmmācca hīyate

Translation

不可将吠陀的真言传授给首陀罗。婆罗门以其婆罗门之德行而得以维系；而首陀罗一旦背离自身之法（dharma），便走向衰败。

Word by Word

• आदिशेत्: should prescribe/teach
• आदिशेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √आदिश् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• वैदिकम्: Vedic
• वैदिकम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वैदिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषण (मन्त्रम् इत्यस्य)

• मन्त्रम्: mantra
• मन्त्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

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

• शूद्राय: to a Śūdra
• शूद्राय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4), एकवचन

• कदाचन: ever; at any time
• कदाचन: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचन (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• ब्राह्मण्या: by a Brahmin woman
• ब्राह्मण्या: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन

• दीयते: is given
• दीयते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (passive)

• विप्रः: a Brahmin (vipra)
• विप्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• शूद्रः: a Śūdra
• शूद्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• धर्म्मात्: from dharma
• धर्म्मात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction), अव्यय

• हीयते: declines; falls away
• हीयते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √हा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः

Speaker

Unknown (Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa instructional narration; speaker not explicit in snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A guru in a teaching pavilion instructs qualified students with palm-leaf manuscripts; outside the inner circle, other devotees perform nāma-japa and offer flowers, indicating differentiated paths of practice.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse asserts that spiritual order is guarded by boundaries of transmission and by steadfastness in one’s prescribed dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A restriction on transmitting Vedic mantras to Śūdras, along with a reminder that spiritual standing is tied to adherence to one’s dharma.