Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

युवा तत्र प्रविष्टस्तु मांस भक्षणलालसः । ततो गुदं पशोर्दृष्ट्वा भक्षयामास चोत्सुकं

Transliteration

yuvā tatra praviṣṭastu māṃsa bhakṣaṇalālasaḥ | tato gudaṃ paśordṛṣṭvā bhakṣayāmāsa cotsukaṃ

Translation

एक तरुण मांसभक्षणाच्या लालसेने तेथे शिरला. मग पशूचे आतडे पाहून तो उत्सुकतेने ते खाऊ लागला.

Word by Word

• yuvā: the young man
• yuvā: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yuvan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb: ‘there’)

• praviṣṭaḥ: having entered
• praviṣṭaḥ: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (कर्तृसम्बन्धी विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-viś (धातु) + praviṣṭa (कृदन्त/क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘entered’

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha-bodhaka (सम्बन्ध/Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, निपात (particle: ‘but/indeed’)

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

• bhakṣaṇa-lālasaḥ: eager to eat
• bhakṣaṇa-lālasaḥ: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhakṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + lālasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (भक्षणस्य लालसः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘eager for eating’

• tataḥ: then
• tataḥ: Kāla/Anukrama (काल/क्रम)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रमवाचक/अपादानार्थक (then/from that)

• gudaṃ: the rectum/anus
• gudaṃ: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• paśoḥ: of the animal
• paśoḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paśu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dṛś (धातु) + dṛṣṭvā (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया: ‘having seen’

• bhakṣayāmāsa: ate
• bhakṣayāmāsa: Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhakṣ (धातु) + ṇic (णिच्) + laṅ
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/Past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; णिजन्त (causative) प्रयोग: ‘caused to eat/ate’

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction: ‘and’)

• utsukaṃ: eagerly
• utsukaṃ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण/Adverbial)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: utsuka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; (क्रियाविशेषणवत्) ‘eagerly’/‘eager one’

Speaker

Sūta (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A reckless youth slips into a sacred precinct, eyes fixed on raw animal entrails, crouching to devour them—an image of greed and impurity intruding upon a ritual landscape.

Characters & Entities

• Yajña
• Paśu (sacrificial animal)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Unchecked appetite and disrespect for sacred rites lead to adharma, disrupting both ritual order and spiritual merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The incident is narrated within the Nāgara Khaṇḍa’s tīrtha-māhātmya framework connected with Śrīhāṭa–Keśvara-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, it highlights a prohibition: sacrificial portions are not to be consumed arbitrarily by unauthorized persons.