Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

तत्र यो भोजयेद्विप्रान्यतिनोथ तपस्विनः । सिक्थे सिक्थे लभेत्सोथ वाजपेयफलं स्फुटम्

Transliteration

tatra yo bhojayedviprānyatinotha tapasvinaḥ | sikthe sikthe labhetsotha vājapeyaphalaṃ sphuṭam

Translation

അവിടെ ആരെങ്കിലും ബ്രാഹ്മണന്മാരെയോ യതികളെയോ തപസ്വികളെയോ ഭോജനിപ്പിച്ചാൽ, ഓരോ കവിളിലും വാജപേയ യാഗത്തിന്റെ വ്യക്തമായ ഫലം അവൻ നിശ്ചയമായി നേടുന്നു.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्ययम्

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• भोजयेत्: should feed
• भोजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhuj (भुज् पालन/भोजने) णिच् (causative)
• Form: णिजन्त-धातु; विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्

• विप्रान्: brahmins
• विप्रान्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative), बहुवचनम्

• यतीन्: ascetics
• यतीन्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• अथ: and/also
• अथ: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्ययम् (then/and also)

• तपस्विनः: austere sages
• तपस्विनः: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapasvin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम् (छान्दस/वैकल्पिक-रूपम्; अपेक्षितं तपस्विनान्)

• सिक्थे: in each drop/particle of wax (lit. 'in siktha')
• सिक्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: siktha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative), एकवचनम्; पुनरुक्ति (reduplication)

• सिक्थे: in each (repeated for emphasis)
• सिक्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: siktha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; पुनरुक्ति-प्रयोगः (each and every)

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √labh (लभ् प्राप्तौ)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• अथ: then/indeed
• अथ: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अनन्तरार्थक-अव्ययम्

• वाजपेयफलम्: the fruit of the Vājapeya (sacrifice)
• वाजपेयफलम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vājapeya (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ('fruit of the Vājapeya sacrifice'); नपुंसकलिङ्गे द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• स्फुटम्: clearly, distinctly
• स्फुटम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sphuṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगः/क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverbial accusative: clearly)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration typically Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmapīṭha (in Dharmatīrtha complex)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya (Kumbhaja)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A long line of brāhmaṇas, yatis, and tapasvins seated on the ghāṭa; a donor serves food. Each morsel glows symbolically as a Vājapeya offering, with sacred fire imagery faintly superimposed.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmapīṭha
• Vipra (Brāhmaṇa)
• Yati
• Tapasvin
• Vājapeya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Service through feeding the worthy (annadāna) is elevated in Kāśī, equated with great Vedic-sacrificial merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmapīṭha/Dharmatīrtha region in Kāśī where offerings and hospitality multiply in merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bhojana/annadāna to vipras, yatīs, and tapasvins; each morsel is said to yield Vājapeya-yajña fruit.