Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

रात्रौ दिवाऽनिषिद्धान्नो ह्यन्नदानमनुत्तमम् । हरौ सुप्ते हि पापघ्नं वार्य मपि शत्रुषु

Transliteration

rātrau divā'niṣiddhānno hyannadānamanuttamam | harau supte hi pāpaghnaṃ vārya mapi śatruṣu

Translation

De nuit comme de jour, offrir une nourriture non interdite est une aumône sans pareille. En vérité, lorsque Hari demeure dans son sommeil sacré (durant Cāturmāsya), même l’offrande d’eau détruit le péché—jusqu’à l’égard des ennemis.

Word by Word

• रात्रौ: at night
• रात्रौ: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रात्रि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; locative of time

• दिवा: by day
• दिवा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दिवा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

• अनिषिद्ध-अन्नः: one whose food is not prohibited (i.e., permissible food)
• अनिषिद्ध-अन्नः: Visheshana (Qualifier of implied subject/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनिषिद्ध (प्रातिपदिक; √सिध्/√षिध् (धातु) से निषिद्ध, नञ्-प्रत्यय) + अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (अनिषिद्धम् अन्नम् यस्य)

• हि: indeed; for
• हि: Sambandha-bodhaka (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis/causal particle)

• अन्न-दानम्: gift of food
• अन्न-दानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (अन्नस्य दानम्)

• अनुत्तमम्: unsurpassed; excellent
• अनुत्तमम्: Visheshana (Predicate qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; superlative sense ‘unsurpassed’

• हरौ: when/where Hari (Viṣṇu)
• हरौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; locative

• सुप्ते: (when) asleep
• सुप्ते: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुप्त (प्रातिपदिक; √स्वप् (धातु) से क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; locative absolute with हरौ

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha-bodhaka (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis particle)

• पाप-घ्नम्: sin-destroying
• पाप-घ्नम्: Visheshana (Predicate qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक) + घ्न (प्रातिपदिक; √हन् (धातु) से ‘घ्न’ प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (पापं हन्ति इति)

• वार्यम्: water
• वार्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वारि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; ‘water’

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha-bodhaka (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपेक्षार्थक अव्यय (even/also)

• शत्रुषु: among enemies; towards enemies
• शत्रुषु: Adhikarana (Location/Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत्रु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; exact speaker not in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim rest-shelter in monsoon: donors distribute permitted food and water day and night; above, Viṣṇu rests on Śeṣa in cosmic ocean (Hari-śayana), indicating heightened sanctity of offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Hari (Viṣṇu)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Rightful giving—especially food and even water—purifies the giver, with heightened merit during Viṣṇu’s Cāturmāsya period.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is framed within a tīrtha-māhātmya chapter, but this verse itself highlights time-based dharma (Cāturmāsya) rather than a named location.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Give permissible food at any time; during Cāturmāsya (Hari’s ‘sleep’), offer water as a potent sin-destroying charity.