Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

मृतस्यैकादशाहे तु भुञ्जानः श्वोपजायते । प्रतिश्रुत्य द्विजायार्थमददन्मधुको भवेत्

Transliteration

mṛtasyaikādaśāhe tu bhuñjānaḥ śvopajāyate | pratiśrutya dvijāyārthamadadanmadhuko bhavet

Translation

മൃതന്റെ ഏകാദശാഹകാലത്ത് ഭക്ഷിക്കുന്നവൻ നായയായി ജനിക്കും. ധർമ്മാർത്ഥമായി ദ്വിജനു ദാനം നൽകാമെന്ന് വാഗ്ദാനം ചെയ്ത് നൽകാത്തവൻ തേൻചീറ്റ (മധുക) ആകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• मृतस्य: of a dead person
• मृतस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत (कृदन्त; √मृ (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• एकादशाहे: on the eleventh day (after death)
• एकादशाहे: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकादश + अहन्/अह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (एकादश अहानि)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषणार्थक-अव्यय (particle)

• भुञ्जानः: eating
• भुञ्जानः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भुज् (धातु) + शानच् (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकालिक-आत्मनेपदी-शानच् (present middle participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• श्वा: dog
• श्वा: Karya/Phala (Result/फल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्वन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (अनियमित-प्रातिपदिक)

• उपजायते: is born/arises
• उपजायते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप + √जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• प्रतिश्रुत्य: having promised
• प्रतिश्रुत्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति + √श्रु (धातु) + ल्यप् (अव्ययीभाव/क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having promised)

• द्विजाय: to a Brahmin (twice-born)
• द्विजाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/Dative), एकवचन

• अर्थम्: wealth/money
• अर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• अददत्: did not give
• अददत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; नकार-लोप/सन्ध्यन्तररूपेण ‘अददन्’ पाठभेदः

• मधुकः: a bee (madhuka)
• मधुकः: Karya/Phala (Result/फल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Unknown (contextual narrator within Revā Khaṇḍa; likely instruction to a ruler)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) milieu (contextual)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A household in mourning with a calendrical marker ‘ekādaśāha’; one person secretly eating, shadowed by a dog-form; another scene shows a man making a solemn promise of dāna to a brāhmaṇa near a yajña fire, then withdrawing, with a bee hovering as karmic symbol.

Characters & Entities

• dvija

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Respect impurity-period disciplines and keep vowed charity; neglecting śrāddha-related restraint and breaking promises brings degrading karmic outcomes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it appears within Revā Khaṇḍa’s dharma-teaching setting linked to the Narmadā region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Observance of the eleven-day post-death discipline (ekādaśāha/āśauca-related restraint) and fulfillment of promised dāna to a dvija.