Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

अन्नहीनो दहेद्राष्टं मन्त्रहीनस्तु ऋत्विजः । याज्ञिकं दक्षिणा हीनो नास्ति यज्ञसमो रिपुः

Transliteration

annahīno dahedrāṣṭaṃ mantrahīnastu ṛtvijaḥ | yājñikaṃ dakṣiṇā hīno nāsti yajñasamo ripuḥ

Translation

അന്നമില്ലാത്ത യജ്ഞം രാജ്യത്തെ ദഹിപ്പിക്കുന്നു; മന്ത്രമില്ലാത്ത ഋത്വിക് യജ്ഞകർമ്മം നശിപ്പിക്കുന്നു; ദക്ഷിണയില്ലാത്ത യജമാനൻ—ദോഷമുള്ള യജ്ഞത്തോളം ശത്രു മറ്റൊന്നുമില്ല.

Word by Word

• अन्नहीनः: one lacking food
• अन्नहीनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक) + हीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (अन्नेन हीनः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दहेत्: would burn/should burn
• दहेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दह् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकार (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• राष्ट्रम्: the kingdom/state
• राष्ट्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राष्ट्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मन्त्रहीनः: one lacking mantras
• मन्त्रहीनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + हीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (मन्त्रेण हीनः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण/विरोधार्थक (but/indeed)

• ऋत्विजः: the officiating priest
• ऋत्विजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋत्विज् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (ऋत्विक्-शब्दस्य प्रथमा एकवचन रूपम्)

• याज्ञिकम्: the sacrificer (one who performs yajña)
• याज्ञिकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: याज्ञिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• दक्षिणा: the sacrificial fee (dakṣiṇā)
• दक्षिणा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• हीनः: lacking
• हीनः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; (दक्षिणा-हीना इत्यर्थे)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

• अस्ति: is/exists
• अस्ति: Kriya (Existence)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• यज्ञसमः: equal to a sacrifice
• यज्ञसमः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक) + सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (यज्ञेन समः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• रिपुः: enemy
• रिपुः: Karta/Predicate-noun (Subject complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रिपु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Jālma (didactic emphasis within the dispute)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/śrotṛ-gaṇa (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic tableau: three vignettes around the yajña—empty food vessels symbolizing famine, a priest stumbling over silent mantras, and a patron withholding dakṣiṇā—overlaid with the ominous idea of the yajña as a looming ‘enemy’ to the realm.

Characters & Entities

• ṛtvij
• dakṣiṇā
• rāṣṭra
• yajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma requires completeness—resources (food), sacred sound (mantra), and rightful giving (dakṣiṇā); neglect turns worship into harm.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Not specified; the verse teaches general yajña-dharma within a Tīrthamāhātmya chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ensure anna (food distribution/offerings), correct mantra-recitation by ṛtviks, and proper dakṣiṇā to complete the yajña.