Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

अन्नोदकप्रदानं च गोप्रदानं च नित्यदा । वेदपाठो वह्निहोमश्चातुर्मास्ये महाफलम्

Transliteration

annodakapradānaṃ ca gopradānaṃ ca nityadā | vedapāṭho vahnihomaścāturmāsye mahāphalam

Translation

നിത്യമായി അന്നവും ജലവും ദാനം ചെയ്യുക, ഗോദാനം ചെയ്യുക; അതുപോലെ വേദപാരായണവും അഗ്നിഹോമവും—ചാതുർമാസ്യത്തിൽ മഹാഫലം നൽകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• अन्नोदकप्रदानम्: giving of food and water
• अन्नोदकप्रदानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक) + उदक (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रदान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (anna-udaka) तत्पश्चात् तत्पुरुषः (pradānam)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• गोप्रदानम्: giving of a cow
• गोप्रदानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गो (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रदान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (goḥ pradānam)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• नित्यदा: always
• नित्यदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time) ‘always’

• वेदपाठः: recitation of the Veda
• वेदपाठः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक) + पाठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (vedasya pāṭhaḥ)

• वह्निहोमः: fire-offering (homa)
• वह्निहोमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वह्नि (प्रातिपदिक) + होम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (vahneḥ homaḥ)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• चातुर्मास्ये: in the Cāturmāsya period
• चातुर्मास्ये: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चातुर्मास्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• महाफलम्: (is) of great fruit/result
• महाफलम्: Karta (Predicate nominal/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (mahat phalam)

Speaker

A Purāṇic narrator addressing Devarṣi Nārada (deduced)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Nārada

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A disciplined householder-pilgrim performs a small homa at dawn, recites Veda, offers water to travelers, distributes food, and tends or gifts a cow—framed by monsoon clouds of Cāturmāsya.

Characters & Entities

• Veda
• Agni
• Cāturmāsya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred time amplifies merit: charity and Vedic-fire disciplines performed in Cāturmāsya become highly fruitful.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse glorifies a sacred season (Cāturmāsya) rather than a named location.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Daily food-and-water charity, cow-gifting, Veda recitation, and fire-homa during Cāturmāsya.