Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

सहसं भोजयित्वाथ द्विजानां भक्तिपूर्वकम् । भुक्तशेषेण चान्नेन कुर्याद्वै पारणं ततः

Transliteration

sahasaṃ bhojayitvātha dvijānāṃ bhaktipūrvakam | bhuktaśeṣeṇa cānnena kuryādvai pāraṇaṃ tataḥ

Translation

ഭക്തിപൂർവ്വം സഹസ്ര ദ്വിജന്മാരെ ഭോജിപ്പിച്ച ശേഷം, ഭുക്തശേഷമായ അന്നംകൊണ്ട് വ്രതത്തിന്റെ പാരണ നടത്തണം।

Word by Word

• सहसम्: a thousand (in number)
• सहसम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; संख्यावाचक-नाम (a thousand)

• भोजयित्वा: having fed
• भोजयित्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भोजय् (धातु; √भुज् causative)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया; causative sense ‘having fed’

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/अनन्तरार्थक (then/thereafter)

• द्विजानाम्: of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

• भक्तिपूर्वकम्: devoutly; with devotion
• भक्तिपूर्वकम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + पूर्वक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial) ‘with devotion’

• भुक्तशेषेण: with the leftover (after eating)
• भुक्तशेषेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भुक्त (कृदन्त; √भुज्, क्त) + शेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; ‘भुक्तस्य शेषः’ (the remainder after eating)

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

• अन्नेन: with food
• अन्नेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• कुर्यात्: should do; should perform
• कुर्यात्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु; √कृ)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक/खल्वर्थक-अव्यय (indeed)

• पारणम्: the breaking of the fast (pāraṇa)
• पारणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; व्रतसमापन-क्रिया (breaking the fast)

• ततः: thereafter
• ततः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय/तद्-प्रातिपदिकात्)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादान/कालार्थ (thereafter/from then)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vow-ending scene in Kāśī: a householder offers respectful brāhmaṇa-bhojana; afterward, the votary performs pāraṇa with the remaining sanctified rice and dishes, hands folded, lamps and Gaṅgā ambience nearby.

Characters & Entities

• dvija (brāhmaṇas)
• pāraṇa
• Kāśī
• vrata

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Vows culminate in service: feeding worthy recipients first, then partaking modestly, expresses humility and dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is embedded in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, presenting Kāśī as a place where such dharmic completion rites yield great merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Brahmin-feeding (dvija-bhojana) followed by pāraṇa using the remaining consecrated food.