Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

तेऽब्रुवन्नैतदस्माभिः श्रपितं मांसमीदृशम् । श्रद्धीयतां महीपाल नान्येन मनुजेन वा

Transliteration

te'bruvannaitadasmābhiḥ śrapitaṃ māṃsamīdṛśam | śraddhīyatāṃ mahīpāla nānyena manujena vā

Translation

അവർ പറഞ്ഞു—“ഇത്തരത്തിലുള്ള വേവിച്ച മാംസം ഞങ്ങൾ തയ്യാറാക്കിയതല്ല. ഹേ മഹീപാലാ, വിശ്വസിക്കണം; ഞങ്ങളെ ഒഴികെ മറ്റൊരു മനുഷ്യനും ഇത് ചെയ്തിട്ടില്ല.”

Word by Word

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/nominative), बहुवचन

• अब्रुवन्: said
• अब्रुवन्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (परस्मैपद) = Imperfect; प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध-निपात) = negation particle

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन

• अस्माभिः: by us
• अस्माभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग (pronoun), तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), बहुवचन

• श्रपितम्: cooked
• श्रपितम्: Karma (Predicate object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle) = PPP; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे 'cooked'

• मांसम्: meat
• मांसम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māṃsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन

• ईदृशम्: such, like this
• ईदृशम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: īdṛśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण

• श्रद्धीयताम्: let it be believed
• श्रद्धीयताम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: श्रध्/श्रद्धा (धातु/नामधातु)
• Form: लोट् (आत्मनेपद) = Imperative; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः: 'let it be believed/accepted'

• महीपाल: O king
• महीपाल: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahīpāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (vocative), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध-निपात)

• अन्येन: by another
• अन्येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), एकवचन

• मनुजेन: by a man
• मनुजेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manuja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/instrumental), एकवचन

• वा: or
• वा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विकल्पार्थक-निपात) = disjunctive particle

Speaker

Unspecified (contextual: the brāhmaṇas/dvijas present)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Cooks, palms joined, insist they did not prepare the strange meat; the king watches, weighing truth; the dish sits as an ominous focal point.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma requires truthful testimony and careful discernment before blame or punishment is assigned.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is part of a Tīrthamāhātmya chapter, but this specific line focuses on the narrative conflict rather than naming a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None in this verse; it is a statement of denial and an appeal for the king’s trust.