Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

कांस्यभाजनसंत्यागाज्जायते भूपतिर्भुवि । पालाशपत्रे भुञ्जानो ब्रह्मभूयस्त्वमश्नुते

Transliteration

kāṃsyabhājanasaṃtyāgājjāyate bhūpatirbhuvi | pālāśapatre bhuñjāno brahmabhūyastvamaśnute

Translation

Durch den Verzicht, aus einem Gefäß aus kāṃsya (Glockenmetall) zu essen, wird man als Herrscher auf Erden geboren. Wer auf einem Palāśa-Blatt speist, erlangt den Zustand Brahmās, höchste geistige Erhabenheit.

Word by Word

• kāṃsyabhājanasaṃtyāgāt: from abandoning a bronze vessel
• kāṃsyabhājanasaṃtyāgāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāṃsya-bhājana-saṃtyāga (प्रातिपदिक; कांस्य + भाजन + संत्याग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative); एकवचन

• jāyate: is born; becomes
• jāyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present); आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन

• bhūpatiḥ: a king
• bhūpatiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū-pati (प्रातिपदिक; भू + पति)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• bhuvi: on earth
• bhuvi: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन

• pālāśapatre: on a palāśa leaf (plate)
• pālāśapatre: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pālāśa-patra (प्रातिपदिक; पलाश + पत्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन

• bhuñjānaḥ: eating
• bhuñjānaḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhuj (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (Present active participle/शतृ); परस्मैपद; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन

• brahmabhūyastvam: the state of being Brahmā (brahmahood)
• brahmabhūyastvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahma-bhūyas-tva (प्रातिपदिक; ब्रह्म + भूयस् + त्व)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• aśnute: attains
• aśnute: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: aś (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present); आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन

Speaker

Brahmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim sits on the ground near a tīrtha, eating a simple meal served on a palāśa leaf; beside him, a discarded bell-metal vessel symbolizes renunciation; in the background, a faint vision of a crowned king and a four-faced Brahmā indicates the promised fruits.

Characters & Entities

• Cāturmāsya
• Palāśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Simple austerities connected to daily eating, when practiced as vrata, are said to yield both worldly prosperity and higher spiritual elevation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is a vrata-niyama statement; the broader textual setting remains Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Avoid bell-metal (kāṃsya) dining vessels; eat on palāśa leaves as a Cāturmāsya discipline.