Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

विधूमे च प्रशांताग्नौ यस्तु माधुकरीं चरेत् । गृहे च विप्रमुख्यानां यतिः स नेतरः स्मृतः

Transliteration

vidhūme ca praśāṃtāgnau yastu mādhukarīṃ caret | gṛhe ca vipramukhyānāṃ yatiḥ sa netaraḥ smṛtaḥ

Translation

പുകയില്ലാതെ ശാന്തമായ ഗൃഹാഗ്നിയോടെ, ‘മാധുകരി’ വൃത്തിയിൽ ശ്രേഷ്ഠ ബ്രാഹ്മണരുടെ വീടുകളിൽ ഭിക്ഷ തേടി ജീവിക്കുന്നവനേ യതി; മറ്റവൻ അല്ല.

Word by Word

• vidhūme: when (the fire is) smokeless / in a smokeless (state)
• vidhūme: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vidhūma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपातः (conjunction)

• praśānta-agnau: when the fire is calmed/quenched
• praśānta-agnau: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: praśānta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक) + agni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (प्रशान्तः अग्निः)

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधकः

• tu: indeed/but
• tu: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषबोधक-निपातः (particle: but/indeed)

• mādhukarīm: mādhukarī alms-round
• mādhukarīm: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mādhukarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; भिक्षावृत्तिः (alms-gathering like a bee)

• caret: should practice/perform
• caret: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √car (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• gṛhe: in the house
• gṛhe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपातः

• vipra-mukhyānām: of the foremost Brahmins
• vipra-mukhyānām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vipra (प्रातिपदिक) + mukhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (विप्राणां मुख्यानाम्)

• yatiḥ: a renunciant
• yatiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपातः (negation)

• itaraḥ: another/other (person)
• itaraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: itara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• smṛtaḥ: is considered
• smṛtaḥ: Kriya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √smṛ (धातु) → smṛta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘स्मृतः’ = held to be/considered

Speaker

Unspecified (deduced: a senior narrator/teacher within Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya instructing a brāhmaṇa listener)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A yati quietly approaches several brāhmaṇa homes, receiving tiny portions like a bee gathering nectar; in the background a calm hearth with no smoke symbolizes pacified passions and non-disruptive living.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Yati
• Mādhukarī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A true yati is defined by disciplined detachment—living on minimal, impartial alms (mādhukarī) and maintaining inner and outer purity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse functions as yati-dharma instruction within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya context; the specific tīrtha is not named in this single shloka excerpt.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The prescription is mādhukarī-bhikṣā—collecting small portions of food as alms, traditionally without favoritism or accumulation.