Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

तस्मात्पुत्र मनुष्येण देवर्षि पितृमानवाः । भूतानि चानुदिवसं पोष्याणि स्वतनुर्यथा

Transliteration

tasmātputra manuṣyeṇa devarṣi pitṛmānavāḥ | bhūtāni cānudivasaṃ poṣyāṇi svatanuryathā

Translation

Darum, mein Sohn, soll der Mensch Tag für Tag die Devas und Rishis, die Ahnen, die Mitmenschen und alle Lebewesen nähren – so wie er seinen eigenen Leib erhält.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore; from that reason
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/सम्बन्धसूचक), अपादानार्थे/हेतौ; English: indeclinable particle 'therefore/from that'

• पुत्र: O son
• पुत्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; English: masculine vocative singular

• मनुष्येण: by a man; by a human
• मनुष्येण: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; English: instrumental singular

• देवर्षि: the divine sage(s)
• देवर्षि: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव + ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (देवानां ऋषिः); English: nominative singular, 'divine sage'

• पितृमानवाः: the Pitṛs and humans
• पितृमानवाः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ + मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; समासः इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (पितरश्च मानवाश्च); English: nominative plural

• भूतानि: living beings
• भूतानि: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन; English: neuter plural (nom./acc.)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयार्थक-निपात; English: conjunction 'and'

• अनुदिवसम्: every day
• अनुदिवसम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण-काळ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनु + दिवस (अव्ययभाव-समास)
• Form: अव्यय, अव्ययीभाव-समास (अनु दिवस = प्रतिदिनम्); English: adverb 'daily'

• पोष्याणि: to be nourished; to be maintained
• पोष्याणि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पोष्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √पुष् (धातु) + यत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन; विधेय-विशेषण; English: neuter plural 'to be nourished/maintained'

• स्वतनुः: one's own body
• स्वतनुः: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व + तनु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (स्वस्य तनुः); English: nominative singular

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Upamana (Comparative marker/उपमान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, उपमान/प्रकारवाचक; English: 'as, just as'

Speaker

Unspecified (Dharmāraṇya Khaṇḍa instructional discourse; likely an elder ṛṣi/ācārya addressing a listener as 'putra')

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Putra (disciple/son figure)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene householder at dawn in a clean courtyard: small altar with lamp and flowers for devas, a water vessel for tarpaṇa, a guest being welcomed, and animals/birds being fed—showing the fivefold nourishment as one integrated daily rite.

Characters & Entities

• Deva
• Ṛṣi (Devarṣi)
• Pitṛ
• Bhūta (living beings)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Daily life becomes dharma when one supports all orders of beings—gods, sages, ancestors, guests, and creatures—rather than living only for oneself.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is primarily a dharma-instruction (not a direct tīrtha-glorification) within the Dharmāraṇya section.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A general daily obligation to ‘nourish’ devas/ṛṣis/pitṛs/humans/creatures—later detailed through tarpaṇa, bali, and hospitality.