Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 42
Devanagari script
अवध्याश्च स्त्रियः सृष्टा मन्यंते धर्मचिंतकाः । तस्माद्धर्मेण धर्मज्ञ एष वादो मनीषिणाम्
Transliteration
avadhyāśca striyaḥ sṛṣṭā manyaṃte dharmaciṃtakāḥ | tasmāddharmeṇa dharmajña eṣa vādo manīṣiṇām
Translation
思惟法（dharma）者认为：女子被造为不可杀害。故而，噢，通达法者，此乃智者之合理论断——以法行法，令法依于法。
Word by Word
अवध्याःnot to be killed
अवध्याः:
Karta (Subject complement)
TypeAdjective
Rootअवध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Nominative plural ‘not to be slain’
चand
च:
Sambandha (Connector)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootच (अव्यय)
Formसमुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction)
स्त्रियःwomen
स्त्रियः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootस्त्री (प्रातिपदिक)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Nominative plural ‘women’
सृष्टाःwere created
सृष्टाः:
Karta (Predicate with passive sense)
TypeVerb
Rootसृष्ट (कृदन्त; √सृज् (धातु) + क्त)
Formस्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — Past participle: ‘created’ agreeing with स्त्रियः
मन्यन्तेthink/consider
मन्यन्ते:
Kriya (Predicate)
TypeVerb
Root√मन् (धातु)
Formलट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, आत्मनेपद — Present: ‘they think’
धर्मचिन्तकाःthinkers on dharma
धर्मचिन्तकाः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootधर्म + चिन्तक (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन — ‘thinkers of dharma’; समासः: धर्मस्य चिन्तकाः
तस्मात्therefore
तस्मात्:
Hetu (Reason)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formतस्मात्-इत्यव्ययप्रयोगः (ablatival adverb) — ‘therefore/from that’
धर्मेणby dharma/justly
धर्मेण:
Karana (Instrument/करण)
TypeNoun
Rootधर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), एकवचन — Instrumental singular ‘by/according to dharma’
धर्मज्ञO knower of dharma
धर्मज्ञ:
Sambodhana (Address)
TypeNoun
Rootधर्मज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन — Vocative; समासः: धर्मं जानाति इति (knower of dharma)
एषःthis
एषः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootएतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — ‘this’
वादःdoctrine/argument
वादः:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootवाद (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Nominative singular ‘statement/doctrine’
मनीषिणाम्of the sages/wise
मनीषिणाम्:
Sambandha (Possessor)
TypeNoun
Rootमनीषिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन — Genitive plural ‘of the wise’
Speaker
Unspecified (petitioners appealing to dharma before the brāhmaṇa)
Visual Art Cues
Scene: A didactic moment: one speaker gestures as if citing dharma; the sage listens with composed authority. The atmosphere shifts from emotional pleading to reasoned ethical discourse.
Characters & Entities
D
dharmaM
manīṣi (the wise)FAQs
Dharma is upheld through restraint and lawful compassion; the wise argue for non-violence and principled judgment.
No tīrtha is mentioned; this is a dharma-argument within the story.
None; it presents a normative ethical claim rather than a rite.