Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

पितृदेवमनुष्येभ्यो दत्त्वाश्नात्यमृतं गृही । स्वार्थं पचन्नघं भुंक्ते केवलं स्वोदरंभरिः

Transliteration

pitṛdevamanuṣyebhyo dattvāśnātyamṛtaṃ gṛhī | svārthaṃ pacannaghaṃ bhuṃkte kevalaṃ svodaraṃbhariḥ

Translation

ഗൃഹസ്ഥൻ ആദ്യം പിതൃകൾക്കും ദേവന്മാർക്കും മനുഷ്യർക്കും അന്നം അർപ്പിച്ച് പിന്നെ ഭക്ഷിച്ചാൽ, അവൻ അമൃതം ഭുജിച്ചതുപോലെ. എന്നാൽ സ്വന്തം സ്വാർത്ഥത്തിനായി മാത്രം പാചകം ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ പാപം മാത്രമേ ഭുജിക്കൂ—വയറ്റുനിറപ്പുകാരൻ മാത്രം.

Word by Word

• पितृदेवमनुष्येभ्यः: to the fathers, gods, and humans
• पितृदेवमनुष्येभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक) + मनुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative; 'to/for' sense with -भ्यः), बहुवचन

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial to main verb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वकाल (prior action)

• अश्नाति: eats
• अश्नाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• अमृतम्: nectar; ambrosia (i.e., meritful food)
• अमृतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• गृही: the householder
• गृही: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• स्वार्थम्: one’s own interest
• स्वार्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• पचन्: cooking
• पचन्: Karta (Agent as participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पच् (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (Present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• अघम्: sin
• अघम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अघ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• भुङ्क्ते: enjoys/consumes
• भुङ्क्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• केवलम्: only
• केवलम्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: केवल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (particle/adverb)

• स्वोदरंभरिः: one who fills only his own belly
• स्वोदरंभरिः: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + उदर (प्रातिपदिक) + भरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—'यस्य उदरं स्वेन भर्यते'

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Kāśī householder serves portions of cooked food first to a pitṛ-śrāddha plate, then to a small deva-offering near a lamp, and then to a guest/poor person at the doorway; only afterward he eats calmly.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs (Ancestors)
• Devas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Eating becomes purifying when preceded by offerings and sharing; selfish consumption turns food into sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is situated within Kāśī-khaṇḍa (Varanasi/Kashi), where daily dharma is praised as part of Kāśī’s sacred life.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offer food first to Pitṛs, Devas, and people (charity/hospitality) before the householder eats.