Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

शूद्रान्नं मन्त्रसंयुक्तं यो विप्रो भक्षयेन्नृप । सोऽस्पृश्यः कर्मचाण्डालः स्पृष्ट्वा स्नानं समाचरेत्

Transliteration

śūdrānnaṃ mantrasaṃyuktaṃ yo vipro bhakṣayennṛpa | so'spṛśyaḥ karmacāṇḍālaḥ spṛṣṭvā snānaṃ samācaret

Translation

ഹേ രാജാവേ! മന്ത്രസംയുക്തമായ ശൂദ്രന്റെ അന്നം ഒരു ബ്രാഹ്മണൻ ഭക്ഷിച്ചാൽ, അവൻ കർമചാണ്ഡാലനായി അസ്പൃശ്യനാകും; അവനെ സ്പർശിച്ചാൽ ശുദ്ധിസ്നാനം ആചരിക്കണം.

Word by Word

• शूद्रान्नम्: food of a Śūdra
• शूद्रान्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूद्र (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शूद्रस्य अन्नम्)

• मन्त्रसंयुक्तम्: mixed/combined with mantra(s)
• मन्त्रसंयुक्तम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + संयुक्त (कृदन्त; √युज् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मन्त्रेण/मन्त्रैः संयुक्तम्)

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

• विप्रः: a Brahmin
• विप्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भक्षयेत्: should eat
• भक्षयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (vocative), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अस्पृश्यः: untouchable
• अस्पृश्यः: Pradhana-predicative (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अस्पृश्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नञ्-प्रत्ययान्त (न स्पृश्यः)

• कर्मचाण्डालः: a chāṇḍāla by conduct
• कर्मचाण्डालः: Pradhana-predicative (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्म (प्रातिपदिक) + चाण्डाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कर्मणः चाण्डालः)

• स्पृष्ट्वा: having touched
• स्पृष्ट्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्पृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वक्रिया

• स्नानम्: bath
• स्नानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• समाचरेत्: should perform
• समाचरेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + √चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The king (nṛpa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king listens as a sage explains purity rules; a Brahmin who has eaten prohibited food stands apart; nearby a riverbank scene shows a purificatory bath being undertaken after contact.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara
• nṛpa (king)
• vipra
• śūdra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual life demands consistency between mantra-sacrality and personal conduct; misuse or transgression is treated as spiritually contaminating.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No holy site is named; the verse deals with purity rules within dharma instruction.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It prescribes snāna (purificatory bathing) after contact with a person deemed ‘aspṛśya’ due to the stated transgression.