Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

कच्चिदेवान्नमस्कृत्य गुरुं च तदनंतरम् । करोषि त्वं प्राणयात्रां दत्त्वान्नं शक्तितो जलम्

Transliteration

kaccidevānnamaskṛtya guruṃ ca tadanaṃtaram | karoṣi tvaṃ prāṇayātrāṃ dattvānnaṃ śaktito jalam

Translation

Nachdem du den Göttern und danach dem Guru Ehrerbietung erwiesen hast, erhältst du den Lebensweg, indem du zuerst Speise gibst und, nach deiner Kraft, auch Wasser darreichst?

Word by Word

• कच्चित्: whether? (I hope)
• कच्चित्: Sambandha (Discourse/प्रश्नसूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कच्चित् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (interrogative particle)

• एवान्: the gods
• एवान्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), बहुवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Plural)

• नमस्कृत्य: having saluted
• नमस्कृत्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् + कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), ‘having saluted’

• गुरुम्: the teacher/guru
• गुरुम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• तत्: then/that
• तत्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular); ‘that’ (used adverbially with अनन्तरम्)

• अनन्तरम्: immediately after
• अनन्तरम्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular); क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोग (adverbial accusative)

• करोषि: you do/perform
• करोषि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (Present Indicative, 2nd person singular, Parasmaipada)

• त्वम्: you
• त्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), एकवचन (Pronoun, Nominative, Singular)

• प्राणयात्राम्: the sustenance of life (daily maintenance)
• प्राणयात्राम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण + यात्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन (Feminine, Accusative, Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘प्राणानां यात्रा’

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), ‘having given’

• अन्नम्: food
• अन्नम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• शक्तितः: according to (your) capacity
• शक्तितः: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त-अव्यय (ablatival adverb) ‘according to ability’

• जलम्: water
• जलम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

Speaker

Unspecified (didactic voice within Nāgara-khaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim-householder bows to devas and then to a seated guru; attendants distribute cooked rice and offer water in a pot to travelers at a tīrtha rest-shed.

Characters & Entities

• Deva
• Guru

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reverence (to devas and guru) should culminate in compassion—sustaining others through food and water, the most basic forms of dāna.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is a general dharma instruction; it does not name a specific tīrtha in the excerpt.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Namaskāra to devas and guru, followed by anna-dāna and jala-dāna according to one’s means.