Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 3

Devanagari script

खड्गमांसं कालशाकं मांसं वाध्रीणसोद्भवम् । प्रदेयं ब्राह्मणेभ्यश्च तत्समंतादुदाहृतम्

Transliteration

khaḍgamāṃsaṃ kālaśākaṃ māṃsaṃ vādhrīṇasodbhavam | pradeyaṃ brāhmaṇebhyaśca tatsamaṃtādudāhṛtam

Translation

La viande de rhinocéros, l’herbe appelée kālaśāka, et la viande obtenue de l’animal nommé vādhrīṇasa : tout cela doit aussi être donné aux brāhmaṇas ; telle est ici l’énonciation complète.

Word by Word

• khaḍgamāṃsam: rhinoceros meat
• khaḍgamāṃsam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: khaḍga-māṃsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (khaḍgasya māṃsam)

• kālaśākam: kāla-śāka (a kind of vegetable)
• kālaśākam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla-śāka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (kālaṃ śākam)

• māṃsam: meat
• māṃsam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māṃsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• vādhrīṇasa-udbhavam: originating from vādhrīṇasa (a kind of animal)
• vādhrīṇasa-udbhavam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vādhrīṇasa-udbhava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (vādhrīṇasāt udbhavam = 'arisen from vādhrīṇasa') विशेषण (qualifying māṃsam)

• pradeyam: should be offered
• pradeyam: Kriya (Obligation/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-dā (धातु)
• Form: तव्यत्/यत्-अर्थे क्तव्य (gerundive): नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'to be given'

• brāhmaṇebhyaḥ: to brāhmaṇas
• brāhmaṇebhyaḥ: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th), बहुवचन

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

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; (udāhṛtam इत्यस्य कर्म/विशेष्य)

• samantāt: entirely / in all respects
• samantāt: Adhikarana (Scope/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samantāt (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb): 'on all sides/entirely'

• udāhṛtam: has been declared
• udāhṛtam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ud-ā-√hṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'has been stated'

Speaker

Unnamed narrator/teacher in Nāgarakhaṇḍa (instructional voice)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārthiva (King)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic tableau showing offering trays: a bundle of dark leafy kālaśāka, and symbolic representation of rare meats (khadga and vādhrīṇasa) being presented as prescribed dāna to seated brāhmaṇas; the emphasis is on ‘textual listing’ rather than gore.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Pitṛs (implied context)
• kālaśāka
• khaḍga
• vādhrīṇasa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The text frames specific food-gifts as ritually efficacious for pitṛ-related satisfaction when offered properly to qualified recipients.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This is part of Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya instruction set; the verse itself lists offerings rather than naming a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A prescription of particular edible gifts (including kālaśāka and specified meats) to be offered to brāhmaṇas in the pitṛ-observance context.