Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

गतेषु विप्रमुख्येषु स्नात्वा हुतहुताशनाः । लोकपालाः क्षुधाविष्टाः पर्यटन्भैक्षमात्मनः

Transliteration

gateṣu vipramukhyeṣu snātvā hutahutāśanāḥ | lokapālāḥ kṣudhāviṣṭāḥ paryaṭanbhaikṣamātmanaḥ

Translation

Als die vornehmsten Brāhmaṇas gegangen waren, badeten die Lokapālas und brachten ihre Feueropfer dar; doch vom Hunger ergriffen, wanderten sie umher und suchten Almosen.

Word by Word

• gateṣu: after (they) had gone
• gateṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gata (कृदन्त, √gam/गम् गतौ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त), “गतेषु” (when [they] had gone)

• vipramukhyeṣu: among the chief Brahmins
• vipramukhyeṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra + mukhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), बहुवचन; “विप्रमुख्य” (chief among Brahmins)

• snātvā: having bathed
• snātvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √snā (स्ना स्नाने)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund): “स्नात्वा” (having bathed)

• huta: having offered (oblations)
• huta: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: huta (कृदन्त, √hu/हु दाने/होमे)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त), विशेषण—“हुत” (having offered oblations)

• hutāśanāḥ: (as) fire-eaters / those for whom offerings are food
• hutāśanāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: huta + aśana (प्रातिपदिक; √aś/अश् भक्षणे)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहि—“हुतम् अश्नन्ति ये”/“हुतं अश्नाति” इति (fire, eater of offerings); अत्र विशेषणरूपेण लोकपालानां

• lokapālāḥ: the world-guardians
• lokapālāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka + pāla (प्रातिपदिक; √pāl/पाल रक्षणे)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• kṣudhāviṣṭāḥ: afflicted by hunger
• kṣudhāviṣṭāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣudhā + āviṣṭa (कृदन्त, ā + √viś/विश् प्रवेशने)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त), विशेषण—“क्षुधया आविष्टाः” (seized by hunger)

• paryaṭan: they wandered about
• paryaṭan: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari + √aṭ (अट् गत्यर्थे)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; छन्दसि/पाठभेदे “पर्यटन्” = “पर्यटन्(त)” (they wandered)

• bhaikṣam: alms
• bhaikṣam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaikṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; “भिक्षा/भिक्षाटन-लभ्यम्”

• ātmanaḥ: for themselves
• ātmanaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; “स्वस्य/आत्मनः”

Speaker

Śaṅkara (Śiva) (deduced from 133.38)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: After bathing and offering into fire, the Lokapālas—still hungry—walk through streets seeking alms; the contrast between sacred fire and empty hands is central.

Characters & Entities

• Lokapāla
• Brāhmaṇa
• Agni (fire, implied by hutāśana)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual acts like snāna and homa do not replace righteous conduct; when dharma is disturbed, even the mighty may face hardship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader setting is the Revā-khaṇḍa, associated with the sanctity of the Revā (Narmadā) region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (bathing) and huta (fire-offerings/homa) are explicitly referenced.