Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

परावसुरुवाच । गंडूषमेकं मद्यस्य मया पीतं द्विजोत्तमाः । तावन्मात्रं पिबाम्येव घृतं वह्निसमं कृतम्

Transliteration

parāvasuruvāca | gaṃḍūṣamekaṃ madyasya mayā pītaṃ dvijottamāḥ | tāvanmātraṃ pibāmyeva ghṛtaṃ vahnisamaṃ kṛtam

Translation

പരാവസു പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ ദ്വിജോത്തമന്മാരേ, ഞാൻ മദ്യം ഒരു ഗണ്ഡൂഷം (ഒരു വായ് നിറയെ) മാത്രം കുടിച്ചു. അതിനാൽ അതേ അളവിൽ അഗ്നിസമമായ ചൂടുള്ള നെയ്യ് തന്നെയാകും ഞാൻ കുടിക്കുക.

Word by Word

• परावसुः: Parāvasu
• परावसुः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परावसु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन; वक्ता

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; parasmaipada

• गण्डूषम्: a mouthful
• गण्डूषम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण्डूष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; कर्म (पीतम्) “a mouthful/draught”

• एकम्: one
• एकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; विशेषणम् (गण्डूषम्)

• मद्यस्य: of liquor
• मद्यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी एकवचन; सम्बन्धः (गण्डूषः)

• मया: by me
• मया: Karta (Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया एकवचन; कर्तृकरणे (कर्मणि-प्रयोगे agent)

• पीतम्: was drunk
• पीतम्: Kriya (Passive predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; कर्मणि “was drunk”

• द्विजोत्तमाः: O best Brahmins
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन बहुवचन; समासः: द्विजाः एव उत्तमाः (कर्मधारय)

• तावन्मात्रम्: that much
• तावन्मात्रम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तावत् + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; विशेषणम् (घृतम्) “that much only”

• पिबामि: I drink
• पिबामि: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: लट्, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; parasmaipada

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; emphasis “indeed/only”

• घृतम्: ghee
• घृतम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: घृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; कर्म (पिबामि)

• वह्निसमम्: like fire
• वह्निसमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वह्नि + सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; विशेषणम् (घृतम्) । समासः: वह्निना समम् (तृतीया-तत्पुरुष)

• कृतम्: prepared
• कृतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया एकवचन; विशेषणम् (घृतम्) “made/prepared”

Speaker

Parāvasu

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas (dvijottamāḥ)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Parāvasu declares he drank only one mouthful and vows to drink an equal mouthful of ghee heated like fire; the moment is one of courageous self-correction.

Characters & Entities

• Parāvasu
• Dvijottamas (Brāhmaṇas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Taking responsibility and promptly undertaking expiation is presented as the dharmic response to a lapse.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; it is part of a broader tīrtha-context narrative on purification.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The speaker commits to drinking fire-hot ghee equal to the small quantity (one mouthful) of liquor consumed.