Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

सम्पूज्य परमात्मा वै ह्यतिथिश्च विशेषतः । श्राद्धकाले तु सम्प्राप्तमतिथिं यो न पूजयेत्

Transliteration

sampūjya paramātmā vai hyatithiśca viśeṣataḥ | śrāddhakāle tu samprāptamatithiṃ yo na pūjayet

Translation

നിശ്ചയമായും പരമാത്മാവ് പൂജ്യൻ—പ്രത്യേകിച്ച് അതിഥി. എന്നാൽ ശ്രാദ്ധകാലത്ത് വന്ന അതിഥിയെ ആരെങ്കിലും ആദരിക്കാതിരുന്നാൽ…

Word by Word

• सम्पूज्य: having duly worshipped
• सम्पूज्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + पूज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), पूर्वकाल

• परमात्मा: the Supreme Self
• परमात्मा: Karma (Object understood with ‘sampūjya’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक) + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—परमः आत्मा

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha-bodhaka (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

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

• अतिथिः: the guest
• अतिथिः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अतिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेषतः (अव्यय)
• Form: रीत्यर्थक/प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (adverb: especially)

• श्राद्धकाले: at the time of śrāddha
• श्राद्धकाले: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक) + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—श्राद्धस्य कालः

• तु: but / indeed
• तु: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषबोधक निपात (but/indeed)

• सम्प्राप्तम्: arrived
• सम्प्राप्तम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (PPP), पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; here qualifying अतिथिम्

• अतिथिम्: a guest
• अतिथिम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अतिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (प्रातिपदिक/सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun)

• न: does not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation)

• पूजयेत्: should worship / honor
• पूजयेत्: Kriyā (Main verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; here in relative clause with यः (generic ‘whoever would/should’)

Speaker

A virtuous brāhmaṇa (instructional statement; continuation)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-tīrtha milieu

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A śrāddha setting: darbha grass, piṇḍa/anna preparations, a householder paused as a guest arrives; the elder teaches that the guest is Paramātman; hands folded in reverence.

Characters & Entities

• Paramātmā
• Atithi
• Śrāddha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Atithi-satkāra is elevated to worship; during śrāddha, honoring an arriving guest is a crucial component of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā-kṣetra setting frames the teaching, though the verse itself is a general śrāddha/hospitality injunction.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

During śrāddha-kāla, one must honor (pūjā/satkāra) any guest who arrives.