Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

मृष्टान्नादो मृष्टवाक्यः सदा जपपरायणः । एते ब्राह्मणा ज्ञेया निःशेषाः पंक्तिपावनाः

Transliteration

mṛṣṭānnādo mṛṣṭavākyaḥ sadā japaparāyaṇaḥ | ete brāhmaṇā jñeyā niḥśeṣāḥ paṃktipāvanāḥ

Translation

Die, deren Speise rein ist, deren Rede geläutert ist und die stets dem japa hingegeben sind — solche Brāhmaṇas soll man als vollkommene „Reiniger der Speisereihe“ erkennen, die bei rituellen Mahlzeiten die ganze Gemeinschaft heiligen.

Word by Word

• mṛṣṭānnādaḥ: eater of pure food
• mṛṣṭānnādaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛṣṭa + anna + ada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (mṛṣṭam annam adyate yena = eater of clean/pure food)

• mṛṣṭavākyaḥ: one with refined speech
• mṛṣṭavākyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mṛṣṭa + vākya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (mṛṣṭaṃ vākyaṃ yasya = one whose speech is refined)

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time: always)

• japaparāyaṇaḥ: devoted to japa (recitation)
• japaparāyaṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: japa + parāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (jape parāyaṇaḥ = devoted to recitation)

• ete: these
• ete: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• brāhmaṇāḥ: Brahmins
• brāhmaṇāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• jñeyāḥ: to be regarded (as)
• jñeyāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jñeya (कृदन्त; √jñā)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विधेय/भाव्य-कृदन्त (gerundive: ‘to be known/considered’)

• niḥśeṣāḥ: entirely/without remainder
• niḥśeṣāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niḥśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• paṃktipāvanāḥ: purifiers of the (dining) row
• paṃktipāvanāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paṃkti + pāvana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

Speaker

Unspecified (instructional voice within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A long line of brāhmaṇas seated for śrāddha meal; among them, a serene japa-parāyaṇa figure with rosary; servers offer spotless food; the atmosphere feels purified and orderly.

Characters & Entities

• Japa
• Brāhmaṇa
• Paṅkti (ritual dining line)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity in diet, purity in speech, and steady mantra-practice make a person a sanctifying presence in dharmic rites.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is explicitly mentioned in this verse; it provides general dharma for rites performed in tīrthas and homes.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It identifies the qualities of Brāhmaṇas who purify the ritual meal line during Śrāddha and related ceremonies.