Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

गुरुदेवातिथिभ्यश्च स्वभृत्येभ्यो विशेषतः । अदत्त्वा भोजनं यैस्तु कृतं तेऽत्र व्यवस्थिताः

Transliteration

gurudevātithibhyaśca svabhṛtyebhyo viśeṣataḥ | adattvā bhojanaṃ yaistu kṛtaṃ te'tra vyavasthitāḥ

Translation

ഗുരു, ദേവന്മാർ, അതിഥികൾ, പ്രത്യേകിച്ച് സ്വന്തം ആശ്രിത‑സേവകർ എന്നിവർക്കു ഭക്ഷണം കൊടുക്കാതെ താനേ ഭക്ഷിച്ചവർ—അവർ ഇവിടെ ശിക്ഷാനുഭവത്തിനായി നിലനിർത്തപ്പെടുന്നു।

Word by Word

• गुरुदेवातिथिभ्यः: to teachers, gods, and guests
• गुरुदेवातिथिभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुरु (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक) + अतिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (सम्प्रदान), बहुवचन — Masculine, Dative, Plural; ‘to gurus, gods, and guests’

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

• स्वभृत्येभ्यः: to one’s own servants
• स्वभृत्येभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + भृत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (सम्प्रदान), बहुवचन — Masculine, Dative, Plural

• विशेषतः: especially
• विशेषतः: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विशेषतः (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकार/विशेषवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: ‘especially’)

• अदत्त्वा: without giving
• अदत्त्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न + √दा (धातु) → अदत्त्वा (कृदन्त, त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund), निषेधपूर्वक — Absolutive/gerund: ‘without giving’

• भोजनम्: food, meal
• भोजनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (कर्म), एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• यैः: by whom
• यैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (सामान्यतः), तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन — Masculine, Instrumental, Plural; relative pronoun

• तु: but, indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (particle: ‘but/indeed’)

• कृतम्: done, committed
• कृतम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे — Past passive participle; Neuter, Singular

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता), बहुवचन — Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• व्यवस्थिताः: are stationed/placed (here)
• व्यवस्थिताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि + अव + √स्था (धातु) → व्यवस्थित (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘स्थिताः’ इत्यर्थे — Past participle; Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narrative style)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A moral contrast tableau: a householder eats alone while guru, guests, and servants stand unfed; the scene dissolves into a punitive underworld station where such selfish eaters are held.

Characters & Entities

• Guru
• Devas
• Atithi (guest)
• Servants/Dependents

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Food is sacred; withholding nourishment from guru, guests, and dependents violates dharma and leads to painful karmic consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named in this verse; it appears within a broader Tīrthamāhātmya discourse on dharma and its fruits.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied prescription is anna-dāna—feeding guru, guests, and dependents before eating oneself.