Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 86
Devanagari script
आलस्येनाप्यनाचाराद्वृथाकार्येकमंग तत्
Transliteration
ālasyenāpyanācārādvṛthākāryekamaṃga tat
Translation
即便只是因懒惰，或因失德之行——此亦成为徒劳之业的一支（一个“肢分”）。
Word by Word
आलस्येनby laziness
आलस्येन:
Karana (Instrument/Cause/करण)
TypeNoun
Rootआलस्य (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया विभक्ति (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन
अपिeven
अपि:
Modifier (निपात)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअपि (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; अप्यर्थ (even)
अनाचारात्from misconduct/non-practice
अनाचारात्:
Apadana (Source/Cause/अपादान)
TypeNoun
Rootअनाचार (प्रातिपदिक)
Formपुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी विभक्ति (Ablative/अपादान), एकवचन
वृथाकार्येin a futile act
वृथाकार्ये:
Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
TypeNoun
Rootवृथा + कार्य (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी विभक्ति (Locative/अधिकरण), एकवचन; समास: वृथा (vain) + कार्य (act)
कम्what?
कम्:
Karma (Object/कर्म)
TypeNoun
Rootकिम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थ/अनिश्चितार्थ
अङ्गO dear!/indeed
अङ्ग:
Discourse particle (सम्बोधन)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootअङ्ग (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; संबोधन-निपात (vocative particle)
तत्that
तत्:
Karta/Topic (प्रकरण-निर्देश)
TypeNoun
Rootतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; अन्वयेन ‘तत्’ = ‘that’ (deictic)
Speaker
Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from context)
Visual Art Cues
Scene: A pilgrim asleep beside a riverbank at dawn while others perform snāna; his offerings spill unused—symbolizing vṛthā-kārya; a small figure of Dharma points to the rising sun (time).
FAQs
Laziness and bad conduct reduce one’s efforts to fruitlessness; dharma requires sustained, disciplined action.
None; this is a conduct-focused instruction.
None explicitly; it discourages laziness and anācāra as spiritually counterproductive.