Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

जाल्म उवाच । ब्रह्मयज्ञमिमं श्रुत्वा दूरादत्र समागतः । बुभुक्षितो द्विजश्रेष्ठास्तत्किमर्थं विगर्हथ

Transliteration

jālma uvāca | brahmayajñamimaṃ śrutvā dūrādatra samāgataḥ | bubhukṣito dvijaśreṣṭhāstatkimarthaṃ vigarhatha

Translation

Jālma sprach: „Als ich von diesem Brahmayajña hörte, kam ich von weit her hierher. Ich bin hungrig, o Beste der Zweimalgeborenen—warum tadelt ihr mich dann?“

Word by Word

• जाल्मः: Jālma
• जाल्मः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाल्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• ब्रह्मयज्ञम्: the Brahma-sacrifice (brahmayajña)
• ब्रह्मयज्ञम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्म (प्रातिपदिक) + यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (ब्रह्मणः/ब्रह्मार्थं यज्ञः), पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• इमम्: this
• इमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• श्रुत्वा: having heard
• श्रुत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive)

• दूरात्: from far away
• दूरात्: Apadana (Source)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दूर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चमी-अर्थे अव्यय (from afar)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (locative adverb)

• समागतः: have come/arrived
• समागतः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-गम् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past Passive Participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (अहं) इति कर्तरि

• बुभुक्षितः: hungry
• बुभुक्षितः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भुज् (धातु)
• Form: सन्नन्त/इच्छार्थक कृदन्त (बुभुक्ष्) + क्त-प्रत्यय; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• द्विजश्रेष्ठाः: O best of twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजश्रेष्ठाः: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (श्रेष्ठा द्विजाः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• तत्: therefore/then
• तत्: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्/तदर्थं इत्यर्थे (therefore/then)

• किम्: why
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक (why/what)

• अर्थम्: purpose/reason
• अर्थम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (किमर्थम् इति प्रश्न)

• विगर्हथ: you censure/reproach
• विगर्हथ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-गर्ह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), मध्यम-पुरुष, बहुवचन

Speaker

Jālma

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/śrotṛ-gaṇa (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Jālma, an austere skull-bearing ascetic, speaks with open palms and a weary face, indicating hunger; the brāhmaṇas pause, their sternness challenged by his simple plea.

Characters & Entities

• Jālma
• Brahmayajña
• dvija (brāhmaṇas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The hungry guest invokes compassion and hospitality, challenging ritualists to unite yajña with dāna (charitable feeding).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not identified in this verse; it is part of a Tīrthamāhātmya narrative surrounding a Brahmayajña.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, the duty of feeding (anna-dāna) in connection with sacrificial occasions is foregrounded.