Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

मृतस्यैकादशाहे तु भुञ्जानः श्वोपजायते । प्रतिश्रुत्य द्विजायार्थमददन्मधुको भवेत्

Transliteration

mṛtasyaikādaśāhe tu bhuñjānaḥ śvopajāyate | pratiśrutya dvijāyārthamadadanmadhuko bhavet

Translation

Wer in den elf Tagen nach einem Todesfall isst, wird als Hund wiedergeboren. Und wer einem Zweimalgeborenen eine Gabe zu religiösem Zweck verspricht und sie nicht gibt, wird zur Biene.

Word by Word

• मृतस्य: of a dead person
• मृतस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत (कृदन्त; √मृ (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• एकादशाहे: on the eleventh day (after death)
• एकादशाहे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकादश + अहन्/अह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (एकादश अहानि)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषणार्थक-अव्यय (particle)

• भुञ्जानः: eating
• भुञ्जानः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भुज् (धातु) + शानच् (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकालिक-आत्मनेपदी-शानच् (present middle participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• श्वा: dog
• श्वा: Karya/Phala (Result/फल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (अनियमित-प्रातिपदिक)

• उपजायते: is born/arises
• उपजायते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप + √जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• प्रतिश्रुत्य: having promised
• प्रतिश्रुत्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति + √श्रु (धातु) + ल्यप् (अव्ययीभाव/क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having promised)

• द्विजाय: to a Brahmin (twice-born)
• द्विजाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• अर्थम्: wealth/money
• अर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• अददत्: did not give
• अददत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; नकार-लोप/सन्ध्यन्तररूपेण ‘अददन्’ पाठभेदः

• मधुकः: a bee (madhuka)
• मधुकः: Karya/Phala (Result/फल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Unknown (contextual narrator within Revā Khaṇḍa; likely instruction to a ruler)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) milieu (contextual)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A household in mourning with a calendrical marker ‘ekādaśāha’; one person secretly eating, shadowed by a dog-form; another scene shows a man making a solemn promise of dāna to a brāhmaṇa near a yajña fire, then withdrawing, with a bee hovering as karmic symbol.

Characters & Entities

• dvija

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Respect impurity-period disciplines and keep vowed charity; neglecting śrāddha-related restraint and breaking promises brings degrading karmic outcomes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it appears within Revā Khaṇḍa’s dharma-teaching setting linked to the Narmadā region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observance of the eleven-day post-death discipline (ekādaśāha/āśauca-related restraint) and fulfillment of promised dāna to a dvija.