Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 87

Devanagari script

ततः फलानि पक्वानि तरूणां पतितान्यधः । सुमृष्टानि समादाय भक्षयामास वांछया

Transliteration

tataḥ phalāni pakvāni tarūṇāṃ patitānyadhaḥ | sumṛṣṭāni samādāya bhakṣayāmāsa vāṃchayā

Translation

Danach nahm er reife Früchte, die unter den Bäumen herabgefallen waren, reinigte sie sorgfältig und aß nach seinem Verlangen.

Word by Word

• ततः: thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण) — तस्मात्/तदनन्तरम् (thereafter)

• फलानि: fruits
• फलानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन — nominative plural neuter

• पक्वानि: ripe
• पक्वानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पक्व (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √पच् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन — past passive participle used adjectivally

• तरूणाम्: of the trees
• तरूणाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन — genitive plural

• पतितानि: fallen
• पतितानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पतित (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √पत् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन — past passive participle used adjectivally

• अधः: down/below
• अधः: Adhikarana (Locative sense/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अधः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (देश/क्रियाविशेषण) — below/downwards

• सुमृष्टानि: well-cleaned
• सुमृष्टानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुमृष्ट (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; सु- + √मृज् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), बहुवचन — accusative plural; PPP used adjectivally

• समादाय: having taken
• समादाय: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्-आ-√दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund) — having taken/after taking

• भक्षयामास: ate
• भक्षयामास: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — he ate

• वांछया: with desire
• वांछया: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause/करण-हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाञ्छा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन — instrumental singular

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic storyteller; not explicit in snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A lone royal figure in travel-worn attire beneath dense forest trees, gathering ripe fallen fruits, washing/cleaning them carefully, then eating quietly with composed face.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Contentment with simple, lawful sustenance aligns with dharma, especially when one is in a sacred or ascetic environment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The forested tīrtha-region is the setting, but no named site appears in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it depicts a dharmic, non-violent mode of nourishment (fallen fruits).