Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

शूद्रान्नरससंपुष्टा ये म्रियन्ते द्विजोत्तमाः । ते तपोज्ञानहीनास्तु काका गृध्रा भवन्ति ते

Transliteration

śūdrānnarasasaṃpuṣṭā ye mriyante dvijottamāḥ | te tapojñānahīnāstu kākā gṛdhrā bhavanti te

Translation

ശൂദ്രൻ നൽകിയ അന്നത്തിന്റെ രസത്തിൽ പോഷിതരായി മരിക്കുന്ന ‘ദ്വിജോത്തമർ’ തപസ്സും ആത്മജ്ഞാനവും നഷ്ടപ്പെടുത്തി കാക്കയും കഴുകനും ആയി മാറുന്നു.

Word by Word

• śūdra-anna-rasa-saṃpuṣṭāḥ: nourished by the essence of Śūdra-food
• śūdra-anna-rasa-saṃpuṣṭāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śūdra (प्रातिपदिक) + anna (प्रातिपदिक) + rasa (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃpuṣṭa (कृदन्त; √puṣ (धातु) + सम्- उपसर्ग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कृदन्त-विशेषण (भूतकृदन्त/PPP: संपूष्ट)

• ye: who
• ye: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• mriyante: die
• mriyante: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √mṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• dvijottamāḥ: best of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• dvijottamāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; संकेत/अन्वयार्थ सर्वनाम (demonstrative pronoun)

• tapo-jñāna-hīnāḥ: devoid of austerity and knowledge
• tapo-jñāna-hīnāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक) + jñāna (प्रातिपदिक) + hīna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण (devoid of)

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक निपात (particle: ‘but/indeed’)

• kākāḥ: crows
• kākāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• gṛdhrāḥ: vultures
• gṛdhrāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛdhra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• bhavanti: become
• bhavanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• te: they
• te: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; पुनरुक्त-सर्वनाम (emphatic repetition)

Speaker

Śaṅkara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrthas (general)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stern dharma-teaching scene: a Shaiva authority warns twice-born pilgrims about impure dependence; in the background, symbolic crows and vultures perch near leftover food, signifying fall from tapas and jñāna.

Characters & Entities

• Dvija (twice-born)
• Kāka (crow)
• Gṛdhra (vulture)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse warns that violating purity-discipline undermines tapas and jñāna, leading to a degraded post-mortem destiny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is named; the teaching is part of the Revā Khaṇḍa’s broader dharma discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A cautionary dietary restraint for those pursuing higher religious discipline (especially the twice-born engaged in vrata/tapas).