Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

ततस्तु ब्राह्मणानां च भोजनं मोदकोद्भवम् । यथाशक्त्या प्रदातव्यं वित्तशाठ्यं विवर्जयेत्

Transliteration

tatastu brāhmaṇānāṃ ca bhojanaṃ modakodbhavam | yathāśaktyā pradātavyaṃ vittaśāṭhyaṃ vivarjayet

Translation

„Dann soll man den Brāhmaṇas eine Speisung darbringen, bestehend aus Modaka-Zubereitungen. Man gebe nach Kräften und meide Geiz im Umgang mit dem Vermögen.“

Word by Word

• ततः: then
• ततः: Adhikarana (Sequence/क्रम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक-निपात)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: ‘then’)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle: contrast/emphasis)

• ब्राह्मणानाम्: of the Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणानाम्: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

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

• भोजनम्: meal/feeding
• भोजनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhojana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• मोदकोद्भवम्: arising from modaka (modaka-based)
• मोदकोद्भवम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मोदक (प्रातिपदिक) + उद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (मोदकात् उद्भवम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• यथा-शक्त्या: according to one’s capacity
• यथा-शक्त्या: Adhikarana (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय) + śakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास (यथाशक्ति), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणार्थ (adverbial: ‘according to ability’)

• प्रदातव्यम्: should be given
• प्रदातव्यम्: Vidhi (Injunction/विधि)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+दा (धातु)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्यय (तव्यत्), विधेय (gerundive: ‘should be given’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन

• वित्तशाठ्यम्: stinginess regarding wealth
• वित्तशाठ्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वित्त (प्रातिपदिक) + शाठ्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (वित्तस्य शाठ्यम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• विवर्जयेत्: should avoid
• विवर्जयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि+वृज्/वर्ज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrator (contextual purāṇic instruction within Nāgarakhaṇḍa; exact speaker not explicit in the snippet)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpottama (a king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-householder at a tīrtha rest-house or temple courtyard respectfully serves seated brāhmaṇas a modaka-based meal, with water-pot, banana leaves/plates, and dakṣiṇā placed with reverence; the atmosphere is orderly and devotional.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Modaka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual worship should culminate in dharma-practice—charity and feeding, given sincerely and without stinginess.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The focus here is vrata-dharma (feeding and giving) within the tīrtha-māhātmya chapter rather than a named pilgrimage site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Feed brāhmaṇas with modaka-based food and give donations according to one’s means, avoiding vitta-śāṭhya (miserliness/deceit).