Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

निमन्त्रितौ समायातौ कुण्डिनं भीष्मकस्य तु । भीष्मकेण यथान्यायं पूजितौ तौ यदूत्तमौ

Transliteration

nimantritau samāyātau kuṇḍinaṃ bhīṣmakasya tu | bhīṣmakeṇa yathānyāyaṃ pūjitau tau yadūttamau

Translation

Invités, tous deux arrivèrent à Kuṇḍina, la cité de Bhīṣmaka ; et Bhīṣmaka, selon la règle, rendit hommage à ces deux-là, les plus éminents des Yadu.

Word by Word

• निमन्त्रितौ: (the two) invited
• निमन्त्रितौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-मन्त्र् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्तः—क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), द्विवचनम्

• समायातौ: (the two) arrived
• समायातौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-या (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्तः—क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), द्विवचनम्; ‘आगतौ’ अर्थे (having come)

• कुण्डिनम्: Kuṇḍina (city)
• कुण्डिनम्: Karma (Goal as object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुण्डिन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचनम्; नगरनाम (place-name)

• भीष्मकस्य: of Bhīṣmaka
• भीष्मकस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीष्मक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचनम्

• तु: and/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; निपातः (particle)

• भीष्मकेण: by Bhīṣmaka
• भीष्मकेण: Karta (Agent expressed in instr./कर्ता-तृतीया)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीष्मक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचनम्

• यथान्यायम्: according to proper custom
• यथान्यायम्: Kriya-vishesana (Manner/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + न्याय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; अव्ययम् (adverbial)

• पूजितौ: were honored/worshipped
• पूजितौ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्तः—क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), द्विवचनम्; कर्मणि (were honored)

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), द्विवचनम्; सर्वनाम-रूपम्

• यदूत्तमौ: the two best of the Yadus
• यदूत्तमौ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यदु (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), द्विवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (best among the Yadus)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced: continuous narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: कुण्डिन-क्षेत्र

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: युधिष्ठिर

Visual Art Cues

Scene: भीष्मक द्वारा बलराम-कृष्ण का विधिवत् स्वागत—आसन, पाद्य, अर्घ्य, पुष्प, धूप-दीप; राजपुरोहित और सेवक

Characters & Entities

• Kuṇḍina
• Bhīṣmaka
• Balarāma
• Kṛṣṇa
• Yadu

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Honoring guests—especially the virtuous—is a pillar of dharma; proper hospitality becomes a sacred act.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kuṇḍina is the narrative setting; within the Skanda Purāṇa’s Revā Khaṇḍa frame, it appears as part of sacred storytelling connected to pilgrimage culture.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied prescription is yathā-nyāya pūjā—welcoming and honoring guests according to established rites and etiquette.