Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

सहसं भोजयित्वाथ द्विजानां भक्तिपूर्वकम् । भुक्तशेषेण चान्नेन कुर्याद्वै पारणं ततः

Transliteration

sahasaṃ bhojayitvātha dvijānāṃ bhaktipūrvakam | bhuktaśeṣeṇa cānnena kuryādvai pāraṇaṃ tataḥ

Translation

Dann, nachdem man die Dvija, die „Zweimalgeborenen“, in Hingabe gespeist hat, soll man danach das Pāraṇa vollziehen, die abschließende Mahlzeit des Gelübdes, mit der Speise, die von dem Gereichten übrig blieb.

Word by Word

• सहसम्: a thousand (in number)
• सहसम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; संख्यावाचक-नाम (a thousand)

• भोजयित्वा: having fed
• भोजयित्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भोजय् (धातु; √भुज् causative)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया; causative sense ‘having fed’

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/अनन्तरार्थक (then/thereafter)

• द्विजानाम्: of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• भक्तिपूर्वकम्: devoutly; with devotion
• भक्तिपूर्वकम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + पूर्वक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial) ‘with devotion’

• भुक्तशेषेण: with the leftover (after eating)
• भुक्तशेषेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भुक्त (कृदन्त; √भुज्, क्त) + शेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; ‘भुक्तस्य शेषः’ (the remainder after eating)

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

• अन्नेन: with food
• अन्नेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• कुर्यात्: should do; should perform
• कुर्यात्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु; √कृ)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक/खल्वर्थक-अव्यय (indeed)

• पारणम्: the breaking of the fast (pāraṇa)
• पारणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; व्रतसमापन-क्रिया (breaking the fast)

• ततः: thereafter
• ततः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय/तद्-प्रातिपदिकात्)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादान/कालार्थ (thereafter/from then)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vow-ending scene in Kāśī: a householder offers respectful brāhmaṇa-bhojana; afterward, the votary performs pāraṇa with the remaining sanctified rice and dishes, hands folded, lamps and Gaṅgā ambience nearby.

Characters & Entities

• dvija (brāhmaṇas)
• pāraṇa
• Kāśī
• vrata

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Vows culminate in service: feeding worthy recipients first, then partaking modestly, expresses humility and dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is embedded in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, presenting Kāśī as a place where such dharmic completion rites yield great merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Brahmin-feeding (dvija-bhojana) followed by pāraṇa using the remaining consecrated food.