Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

विष्णुदेहांशसंभूतं तदन्नं ब्रह्म इष्यते । तदन्नं विष्णवे दत्त्वा ह्यावाहनपुरःसरम्

Transliteration

viṣṇudehāṃśasaṃbhūtaṃ tadannaṃ brahma iṣyate | tadannaṃ viṣṇave dattvā hyāvāhanapuraḥsaram

Translation

Cette nourriture, née d’une part du propre corps de Viṣṇu, est tenue pour Brahman. Aussi, après l’avoir d’abord invoqué (āvāhana), faut-il offrir cette même nourriture à Viṣṇu.

Word by Word

• विष्णु-देह-अंश-सम्भूतम्: born from a portion of Viṣṇu's body
• विष्णु-देह-अंश-सम्भूतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक) + देह (प्रातिपदिक) + अंश (प्रातिपदिक) + सम्भूत (कृदन्त; √भू धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त), विशेषणम्

• तत्-अन्नम्: that food
• तत्-अन्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ब्रह्म: Brahman; the Absolute
• ब्रह्म: Pratijna/Predicate nominative (विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• इष्यते: is regarded (as)
• इष्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √इष् (धातु)
• Form: लट् लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः (is considered/held)

• तत्-अन्नम्: that food
• तत्-अन्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन

• विष्णवे: to Viṣṇu
• विष्णवे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकालिक क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

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

• आवाहन-पुरःसरम्: preceded by invocation (āvāhana)
• आवाहन-पुरःसरम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial qualifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आवाहन (प्रातिपदिक) + पुरःसर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (क्रियाविशेषणभावेन)

Speaker

Brahmā

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee performs āvāhana and offers a plate of cooked rice/grains to Viṣṇu; prasāda distributed to pilgrims; the food glows subtly as ‘anna-brahma’.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Viṣṇu
• Brahman
• Anna (food)
• Āvāhana (invocation)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Nourishment is sacred; by offering food to Viṣṇu first, one transforms ordinary eating into dharma and gratitude.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is ritual-doctrinal; it remains within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra māhātmya setting without naming a new site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform āvāhana (invocation) and then offer food (naivedya/anna) to Viṣṇu.