Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

सम्पूज्य परमात्मा वै ह्यतिथिश्च विशेषतः । श्राद्धकाले तु सम्प्राप्तमतिथिं यो न पूजयेत्

Transliteration

sampūjya paramātmā vai hyatithiśca viśeṣataḥ | śrāddhakāle tu samprāptamatithiṃ yo na pūjayet

Translation

Assurément, le Soi suprême doit être honoré, et tout particulièrement l’hôte. Mais celui qui, lorsque vient le temps du śrāddha, n’honore pas l’hôte arrivé alors…

Word by Word

• सम्पूज्य: having duly worshipped
• सम्पूज्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + पूज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकाल

• परमात्मा: the Supreme Self
• परमात्मा: Karma (Object understood with ‘sampūjya’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—परमः आत्मा

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha-bodhaka (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha-bodhaka (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• अतिथिः: the guest
• अतिथिः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अतिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेषतः (अव्यय)
• Form: रीत्यर्थक/प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb: especially)

• श्राद्धकाले: at the time of śrāddha
• श्राद्धकाले: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—श्राद्धस्य कालः

• तु: but / indeed
• तु: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषबोधक निपात (but/indeed)

• सम्प्राप्तम्: arrived
• सम्प्राप्तम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; here qualifying अतिथिम्

• अतिथिम्: a guest
• अतिथिम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अतिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• न: does not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation)

• पूजयेत्: should worship / honor
• पूजयेत्: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; here in relative clause with यः (generic ‘whoever would/should’)

Speaker

A virtuous brāhmaṇa (instructional statement; continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha milieu

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A śrāddha setting: darbha grass, piṇḍa/anna preparations, a householder paused as a guest arrives; the elder teaches that the guest is Paramātman; hands folded in reverence.

Characters & Entities

• Paramātmā
• Atithi
• Śrāddha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Atithi-satkāra is elevated to worship; during śrāddha, honoring an arriving guest is a crucial component of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā-kṣetra setting frames the teaching, though the verse itself is a general śrāddha/hospitality injunction.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

During śrāddha-kāla, one must honor (pūjā/satkāra) any guest who arrives.