Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

देवाः सर्वेऽन्नदानेन तृप्ता यच्छन्ति वांछितम् । पिपीलिकाऽपि यद्गेहाद्भक्ष्यमादाय गच्छति

Transliteration

devāḥ sarve'nnadānena tṛptā yacchanti vāṃchitam | pipīlikā'pi yadgehādbhakṣyamādāya gacchati

Translation

അന്നദാനത്തിൽ തൃപ്തരായ എല്ലാ ദേവന്മാരും ഇഷ്ടവരങ്ങൾ നൽകുന്നു. ഒരാളുടെ വീട്ടിൽ നിന്ന് ഉറുമ്പ് പോലും ഭക്ഷണകണം എടുത്തുകൊണ്ടുപോയാലും അതും പുണ്യഹേതുവാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• देवाः: the gods
• देवाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; agrees with देवाः

• अन्न-दानॆन: by the gift of food
• अन्न-दानॆन: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (अन्नस्य दानम्)

• तृप्ताः: satisfied
• तृप्ताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तृप्त (प्रातिपदिक; √तृप् (धातु) से क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; past participle used adjectivally

• यच्छन्ति: grant; bestow
• यच्छन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √यम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; ‘to give/bestow’

• वाञ्छितम्: the desired (boon)
• वाञ्छितम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाञ्छित (प्रातिपदिक; √वाञ्छ् (धातु) से क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; object of यच्छन्ति

• पिपीलिका: an ant
• पिपीलिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिपीलिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• अपि: even; also
• अपि: Sambandha-bodhaka (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपेक्षार्थक अव्यय (also/even)

• यत्: from which
• यत्: Apadana (Ablative source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन; relative pronoun used with ablative sense ‘from which’

• गेहात्: from the house
• गेहात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गेह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन

• भक्ष्यम्: food to be eaten
• भक्ष्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ष्य (प्रातिपदिक; √भक्ष् (धातु) से यत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• आदाय: having taken
• आदाय: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ-√दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; ‘having taken’

• गच्छति: goes
• गच्छति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style; exact speaker not in snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A household kitchen scene: a donor offers food; devas above bestow blessings; in the foreground an ant carries a grain, subtly glowing to indicate puṇya arising from even the smallest sharing.

Characters & Entities

• Devāḥ (the gods)
• Pipīlikā (ant)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Food-giving (annadāna) is among the highest charities; even unintended feeding generates puṇya and attracts divine favor.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse occurs within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya frame; the immediate emphasis is on dāna as a universal dharma supporting tīrtha-merit rather than naming a single site in this line.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Annadāna—offering food (directly or through hospitality) as a meritorious act.