Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

एतेषामेव मांसानि पावनानि नृपोत्तम

Transliteration

eteṣāmeva māṃsāni pāvanāni nṛpottama

Translation

Ô meilleur des rois, seules les chairs de ceux qui viennent d’être énumérés sont purifiantes.

Word by Word

• eteṣām: of these
• eteṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• eva: only/indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• māṃsāni: meats
• māṃsāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māṃsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (कर्ता), बहुवचन

• pāvanāni: purifying
• pāvanāni: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्तृसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāvana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (māṃsāni इति विशेष्यस्य)

• nṛpa-uttama: O best of kings
• nṛpa-uttama: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (उत्तमः नृपः)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (continuing reply)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpottama (best of kings)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The sage delivers a final authoritative line; the king bows. The ritual space appears orderly and purified—darbha neatly arranged, vessels shining—signifying ‘pāvana’ completion.

Characters & Entities

• nṛpottama (best of kings)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purity in dharma is maintained by adhering to authorized means; sanctity comes from scriptural alignment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is not geographically descriptive; it belongs to a Tīrthamāhātmya chapter that also codifies śrāddha practice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It concludes that only the previously enumerated meats are considered ritually purifying for śrāddha.