Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

कच्चिदस्तंगते सूर्ये नान्नमश्नासि भाभिनि । अदत्त्वा वा स्वभृत्येभ्यः साधुभ्यश्च विशेषतः

Transliteration

kaccidastaṃgate sūrye nānnamaśnāsi bhābhini | adattvā vā svabhṛtyebhyaḥ sādhubhyaśca viśeṣataḥ

Translation

إذا غربتِ الشمسُ، أيتها المتلألئة، أتمتنعينَ عن الطعام—وخاصةً ألّا تأكلي قبل أن تُعطي لمن يعولهم بيتُكِ، وللصالحين من السادهُو على وجه الخصوص؟

Word by Word

• कच्चित्: whether? (I hope)
• कच्चित्: Sambandha (Discourse/प्रश्नसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कच्चित् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative particle)

• अस्तंगते: when (it is) set
• अस्तंगते: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अस्तं-गत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन (Masculine, Locative, Singular); क्त-प्रत्ययान्त ‘gone to setting’

• सूर्ये: in/at the sun (i.e., when the sun)
• सूर्ये: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूर्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन (Masculine, Locative, Singular)

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

• अन्नम्: food
• अन्नम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• अश्नासि: you eat
• अश्नासि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Present Indicative, 2nd person singular)

• भाभिनि: O radiant one
• भाभिनि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाभिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (vocative), एकवचन (Feminine, Vocative, Singular)

• अदत्त्वा: without giving
• अदत्त्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: नञ्-पूर्वक-क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (negative gerund) ‘without giving’

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्प-अव्यय (disjunctive particle)

• स्वभृत्येभ्यः: to your own servants
• स्वभृत्येभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व + भृत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (सम्प्रदान), बहुवचन (Masculine, Dative, Plural); ‘one’s own servants’

• साधुभ्यः: to the good/saints
• साधुभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साधु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (सम्प्रदान), बहुवचन (Masculine, Dative, Plural)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्यय (adverb) ‘especially’

Speaker

Unspecified (didactic voice within Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At dusk with the sun set, a householder/pilgrim refrains from dining; lamps are lit; food is first served to dependents and a visiting sadhu seated calmly.

Characters & Entities

• Sūrya
• Sādhu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

One’s personal comfort should follow duty: care for dependents and honoring the virtuous come before one’s own meal.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is mentioned in this particular verse; it is part of dharma counsel within a tīrtha-māhātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A restraint regarding eating after sunset is implied, along with the rule to give food first to dependents and sādhus.