Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

निवेदयेद्यदन्नं हि एकभक्तपि तत्स्मृतम् । अन्यन्निवेद्य संमूढो भुंजानोऽन्यत्पतेदधः

Transliteration

nivedayedyadannaṃ hi ekabhaktapi tatsmṛtam | anyannivedya saṃmūḍho bhuṃjāno'nyatpatedadhaḥ

Translation

Whatever food one offers—this alone is to be regarded as one’s “single meal” (ekabhakta). But if, deluded, one offers one thing and eats something else, one falls downward spiritually.

Word by Word

• निवेदयेत्: should offer
• निवेदयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + वेद् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; should offer

• यत्: whatever/which
• यत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular qualifying अन्नम्

• अन्नम्: food
• अन्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात; हेत्वर्थ/निश्चय (indeed/for)

• एकभक्ते: in the case of a single meal (ekabhakta)
• एकभक्ते: Adhikarana (Condition/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक + भक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular; तत्पुरुष: 'single meal/one portion'

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात; अपि-भाव (even/also)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• स्मृतम्: is regarded (as such)
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (Predicative/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्मृ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय; past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'is considered/remembered'

• अन्यत्: something else/another (food)
• अन्यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular (object of निवेद्य)

• निवेद्य: having offered
• निवेद्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नि + वेद् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (ल्यप्/त्वा-प्रत्यय; absolutive), अव्यय; 'having offered'

• संमूढः: confused/deluded
• संमूढः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + मूढ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• भुञ्जानः: eating
• भुञ्जानः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भुज् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (शतृ-प्रत्यय; present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'while eating'

• अन्यत्: another (result/state)
• अन्यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular (object of पतति: 'falls into another [state]')

• पतेत्: would fall
• पतेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; would fall

• अधः: downwards/below
• अधः: Gati (Direction/गति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अधः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb of direction)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa typically Skanda instructing Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (generic)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee offers a simple meal to the deity and then sits calmly to eat only that prasāda; a contrasting shadow-scene hints at the ‘deluded’ act of offering one dish while eating another, symbolizing spiritual fall.

Characters & Entities

• Vrata (ekabhakta)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Vrata is upheld by integrity: what is offered should match what is consumed, avoiding hypocrisy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is embedded in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s broader glorification of Kāśī’s dharmic observances.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ekabhakta discipline: treat the offered food as the sole permitted meal; do not offer one item and eat another.