Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

अन्नानि चैकभक्तस्य शृणुतानि फलाप्तये । जंब्वपामार्ग खदिर जाती चूतकदंबकम्

Transliteration

annāni caikabhaktasya śṛṇutāni phalāptaye | jaṃbvapāmārga khadira jātī cūtakadaṃbakam

Translation

Hear, for the attainment of merit’s fruit, the rules concerning foods for one who observes ekabhakta, eating only once a day. The prescribed tooth-stick trees (dantakāṣṭha) are: jambu, apāmārga, khadira, jātī, cūta, and kadamba.

Word by Word

• अन्नानि: foods
• अन्नानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; समुच्चयबोधक

• एकभक्तस्य: of the one who eats once (per day)
• एकभक्तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक + भक्त (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी-विभक्तिः (सम्बन्ध), एकवचनम्; (one-meal-observer)

• शृणुतानि: hear (you all)
• शृणुतानि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रु (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• फलाप्तये: for attaining the result
• फलाप्तये: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल + आप्ति (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे चतुर्थी-विभक्तिः (सम्प्रदान/प्रयोजन), एकवचनम्; प्रयोजनार्थे (for obtaining fruit/result)

• जम्बु: jambu tree
• जम्बु: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जम्बु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; दन्तकाष्ठद्रुमनाम (tree-name)

• अपामार्ग: apāmārga (Achyranthes)
• अपामार्ग: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपामार्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; दन्तकाष्ठद्रुमनाम

• खदिर: khadira (acacia)
• खदिर: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: खदिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; दन्तकाष्ठद्रुमनाम

• जाती: jātī (jasmine)
• जाती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; दन्तकाष्ठद्रुमनाम

• चूतकदम्बकम्: mango and kadamba (trees)
• चूतकदम्बकम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चूत + कदम्बक (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; समाहार-द्वन्द्वः (cūta and kadambaka as a set)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pulomajā (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee at dawn performs dantadhāvana with a twig, with a small arrangement of different tree twigs labeled/recognized; later a simple single meal is shown on a leaf plate, emphasizing eka-bhakta restraint.

Characters & Entities

• Eka-bhakta
• Jambu
• Apāmārga
• Khadira
• Jātī
• Cūta (mango)
• Kadamba

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Self-restraint (like eka-bhakta) and purity disciplines are taught as means to secure the vow’s spiritual fruit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is embedded in Kāśī’s dharma-mahātmya context within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Eka-bhakta (one meal a day) discipline and the approved plants for dantakāṣṭha such as jambu and khadira.