Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

विप्राणां भोजनं शक्त्या सर्वतीर्थेष्वयं विधिः । प्रायश्चित्तनिमित्तं च यो व्रजेद्यतमानसः

Transliteration

viprāṇāṃ bhojanaṃ śaktyā sarvatīrtheṣvayaṃ vidhiḥ | prāyaścittanimittaṃ ca yo vrajedyatamānasaḥ

Translation

Di setiap tīrtha, inilah aturan yang wajar: menurut kemampuan, hendaklah menjamu para brāhmaṇa. Dan sesiapa yang berangkat berziarah sebagai prāyaścitta, dengan minda terlatih dan terkawal, dia mematuhi ketetapan ini.

Word by Word

• विप्राणाम्: of/for the brāhmaṇas
• विप्राणाम्: Sampradana (Beneficiary/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• भोजनम्: feeding; meal-giving
• भोजनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• शक्त्या: according to one’s ability
• शक्त्या: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• सर्वतीर्थेषु: in all pilgrimage places
• सर्वतीर्थेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व-तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक; सर्व + तीर्थ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय-समास

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम; विशेषण (विधिः इति)

• विधिः: rule; procedure
• विधिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• प्रायश्चित्तनिमित्तम्: for the purpose of expiation
• प्रायश्चित्तनिमित्तम्: Karma (Purpose-Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रायश्चित्त-निमित्त (प्रातिपदिक; प्रायश्चित्त + निमित्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: प्रायश्चित्तस्य निमित्तम्); (व्रजेत् इत्यस्य कर्म/उद्देश्य)

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

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• व्रजेत्: should go
• व्रजेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्रज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• यतमानसः: with restrained mind
• यतमानसः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यत-मानस (प्रातिपदिक; यत (कृदन्त-विशेषण) + मानस)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (यतं मानसं यस्य/यतमानसः = restrained-minded)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Revā Khaṇḍa instructional discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarva-tīrtha (general rule)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (Arjuna) implied

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims at a tīrtha set up a simple feeding place: brāhmaṇas seated in a row receiving food; the donor offers with folded hands; in the background, a traveler with staff and waterpot walks with downcast, disciplined gaze.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage becomes purifying when joined with charity—especially feeding the worthy—done with a disciplined mind.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The rule is stated as universal for all tīrthas, within the Revā/Narmadā pilgrimage framework of the Skanda Purāṇa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Brāhmaṇa-bhojana (feeding brāhmaṇas) according to one’s means, as part of prāyaścitta-oriented tīrtha-yātrā.