Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

वाग्यतो गुर्वनुज्ञातो भुंजीतान्नमकुत्सयन् । एकान्नं न समश्नीयाच्छ्राद्धेऽश्नीयात्तथापदि

Transliteration

vāgyato gurvanujñāto bhuṃjītānnamakutsayan | ekānnaṃ na samaśnīyācchrāddhe'śnīyāttathāpadi

Translation

വാക്ക് സംയമിച്ച് ഗുരുവിന്റെ അനുവാദം ലഭിച്ച ശേഷം, അന്നത്തെ നിന്ദിക്കാതെ ഭുജിക്കണം. ഒരേയൊരു വിഭവം മാത്രം കഴിക്കരുത്; എന്നാൽ ശ്രാദ്ധകർമ്മത്തിലും ആപത്‌കാലത്തിലും യഥോചിതമായി കഴിക്കാം.

Word by Word

• वाक्: speech
• वाक्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; वाक्-शब्दः (speech)

• यतः: restrained
• यतः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम्—‘वाक्’ इत्यस्य; यतः = संयतः (restrained)

• गुरु: from the teacher
• गुरु: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; समासभङ्गे ‘गुरोः’ (from the teacher)

• अनुज्ञातः: permitted
• अनुज्ञातः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनु-ज्ञा (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि क्त-प्रत्ययान्तः; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘अनुज्ञातः’ = permitted

• भुञ्जीत: should eat
• भुञ्जीत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष? (actually 3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; ‘he should eat’

• अन्नम्: food
• अन्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• अकुत्सयन्: without disparaging
• अकुत्सयन्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुत्स् (धातु) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्तः; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; नञ्-पूर्वकः; ‘not censuring/without disparaging’

• एक-अन्नम्: a single (kind of) food
• एक-अन्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—‘एकं अन्नम्’ (single kind of food)

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्ययम् (negation particle)

• समश्नीयात्: should eat (in that manner)
• समश्नीयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + अश् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष? (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; ‘should eat together/mixingly’ (i.e., should not eat only one item exclusively)

• श्राद्धे: in a śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; ‘in śrāddha’

• अश्नीयात्: should eat
• अश्नीयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अश् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष? (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; ‘should eat’

• तथा: thus
• तथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्ययम् (adverb of manner: ‘thus/so’)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-कारक-अव्ययम् (also/even)

• अदि: (textual: unclear; likely ‘if’)
• अदि: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अदि (अव्यय)
• Form: पाठभेद/अस्पष्ट-अव्ययम्; सम्भाव्यं ‘यदि’ (if) इति; मूलपाठे ‘अपदि’ इत्यपि दृश्यते

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A disciplined pilgrim-resident in Kāśī sits to eat after bowing to his guru/elder; he eats quietly without criticism, while a śrāddha setting in the background indicates permitted exceptions.

Characters & Entities

• Guru
• Śrāddha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Self-restraint and reverence—eat with humility, under guidance, without fault-finding.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader teaching belongs to Kāśī Khaṇḍa (Vārāṇasī/Kāśī), framing daily dharma for pilgrims and residents.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Śrāddha is named as a context where certain normal food restrictions may be relaxed.