Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

अथासौ प्राह तं शूद्रमतिथे कुरु भोजनम् । स्वेच्छया पिब तोयं च श्रेयो येन भवेन्मम

Transliteration

athāsau prāha taṃ śūdramatithe kuru bhojanam | svecchayā piba toyaṃ ca śreyo yena bhavenmama

Translation

Alors il dit à ce Śūdra : «Ô hôte, prépare la nourriture ; et bois de l’eau selon ton désir, afin que mon propre bien soit assuré».

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रमसूचक (then)

• असौ: that person (he)
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन (nominative singular)

• प्राह: said
• प्राह: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + अह्/ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular)

• तम्: to him; that (man)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• शूद्रम्: the Śūdra
• शूद्रम्: Karma (Object apposition/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; संबोधनार्थे कर्म (appositive to ‘तम्’)

• अतिथे: O guest
• अतिथे: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अतिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (Vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• कुरु: do; make
• कुरु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative/आज्ञार्थ); मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• भोजनम्: meal; eating
• भोजनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• स्वेच्छया: at your own will
• स्वेच्छया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व + इच्छा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन — ‘स्वस्य इच्छा’ (by one’s own will)

• पिब: drink
• पिब: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative); मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तोयम्: water
• तोयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (and)

• श्रेयः: welfare; good
• श्रेयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रेयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन (nominative singular)

• येन: by which
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंस; तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन (instrumental singular)

• भवेत्: may be; would be
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/सम्भावना); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• मम: for me; of me
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन (genitive singular)

Speaker

Preta-rāja (implied ruler of the pretas, speaking within the narrative)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The preta-king addresses a Śūdra traveler as ‘guest’, instructing him to prepare food and drink water freely; the moment is ethical and intimate amid the eerie court.

Characters & Entities

• Śūdra
• Atithi (guest)
• Preta-rāja (ruler of pretas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Hospitality—especially food and water to a guest—functions as a powerful dharmic act that generates śreyas (spiritual welfare).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The immediate focus is dharma within a tīrtha-māhātmya narrative; the verse itself does not name a location.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Atithi-sevā: offering/arranging food (anna) and water (toya/jala) for a guest.