Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

शूद्रान्नरससंपुष्टा ये म्रियन्ते द्विजोत्तमाः । ते तपोज्ञानहीनास्तु काका गृध्रा भवन्ति ते

Transliteration

śūdrānnarasasaṃpuṣṭā ye mriyante dvijottamāḥ | te tapojñānahīnāstu kākā gṛdhrā bhavanti te

Translation

أولئك «الأفضل من ذوي الولادتين» الذين يموتون وقد تغذّوا بطعم طعامٍ يقدّمه الشودرَة، يُحرمون من التَّبَس (الزهد) ومن المعرفة الروحية؛ فيصيرون غربانًا ونسورًا جارحة.

Word by Word

• śūdra-anna-rasa-saṃpuṣṭāḥ: nourished by the essence of Śūdra-food
• śūdra-anna-rasa-saṃpuṣṭāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śūdra (प्रातिपदिक) + anna (प्रातिपदिक) + rasa (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃpuṣṭa (कृदन्त; √puṣ (धातु) + सम्- उपसर्ग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कृदन्त-विशेषण (भूतकृदन्त/PPP: संपूष्ट)

• ye: who
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• mriyante: die
• mriyante: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √mṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• dvijottamāḥ: best of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• dvijottamāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; संकेत/अन्वयार्थ सर्वनाम (demonstrative pronoun)

• tapo-jñāna-hīnāḥ: devoid of austerity and knowledge
• tapo-jñāna-hīnāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक) + jñāna (प्रातिपदिक) + hīna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (devoid of)

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक निपात (particle: ‘but/indeed’)

• kākāḥ: crows
• kākāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• gṛdhrāḥ: vultures
• gṛdhrāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛdhra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• bhavanti: become
• bhavanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; पुनरुक्त-सर्वनाम (emphatic repetition)

Speaker

Śaṅkara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrthas (general)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stern dharma-teaching scene: a Shaiva authority warns twice-born pilgrims about impure dependence; in the background, symbolic crows and vultures perch near leftover food, signifying fall from tapas and jñāna.

Characters & Entities

• Dvija (twice-born)
• Kāka (crow)
• Gṛdhra (vulture)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse warns that violating purity-discipline undermines tapas and jñāna, leading to a degraded post-mortem destiny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is named; the teaching is part of the Revā Khaṇḍa’s broader dharma discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A cautionary dietary restraint for those pursuing higher religious discipline (especially the twice-born engaged in vrata/tapas).