Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

इष्टमन्नं ततो दत्त्वा पात्रमालभ्य संजपेत् । विप्रांगुष्ठं समादाय पाकमध्ये निधाय च

Transliteration

iṣṭamannaṃ tato dattvā pātramālabhya saṃjapet | viprāṃguṣṭhaṃ samādāya pākamadhye nidhāya ca

Translation

അതിനുശേഷം ഇഷ്ടമായ അന്നം ദാനം ചെയ്ത് പാത്രം സ്പർശിച്ച് മൃദുവായി മന്ത്രം ജപിക്കണം. പിന്നെ ബ്രാഹ്മണന്റെ അങ്കുഷ്ഠം എടുത്ത് പാകന്നത്തിന്റെ മദ്ധ്യത്തിലും വെക്കണം.

Word by Word

• इष्टम्: desired/approved
• इष्टम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इष् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषण (अन्नम्)

• अन्नम्: food
• अन्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kala (Temporal adverb/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb), अनन्तर (thereafter)

• दत्त्वा: having given
• दत्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वक्रिया

• पात्रम्: vessel
• पात्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• आलभ्य: having touched/handled
• आलभ्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ-लभ् (धातु) + ल्यप् (अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया

• संजपेत्: should mutter (a mantra)
• संजपेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-जप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• विप्राङ्गुष्ठम्: the Brahmin’s thumb
• विप्राङ्गुष्ठम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र + अङ्गुष्ठ (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (विप्रस्य अङ्गुष्ठः)

• समादाय: having taken
• समादाय: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-दा (धातु) + ल्यप्
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया

• पाकमध्ये: in the middle of the cooking (fireplace)
• पाकमध्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाक + मध्य (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पाकस्य मध्ये)

• निधाय: having placed
• निधाय: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि-धा (धातु) + ल्यप्
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (absolutive), पूर्वक्रिया

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A householder at a tīrtha-side pavilion offers a leaf-plate of cooked rice to seated brāhmaṇas; he touches the vessel, murmurs mantras, and gently guides the brāhmaṇa’s thumb to the center of the food as a ritual gesture.

Characters & Entities

• Vipra
• Aṅguṣṭha (thumb)
• Pāka (cooked food)
• Japa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śrāddha is completed through mantra, offering, and sanctioned ritual gestures involving the qualified vipra—form and intention work together.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse continues the rite-description; it does not specify a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Give the appropriate food, touch the vessel while reciting, and perform the gesture of placing the brāhmaṇa’s thumb into the cooked food.