Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

तस्मान्मेऽस्ति परा प्रीतिर्भक्तिश्च नृपसत्तम । तत्कुरुष्व मया दत्तं स्वहस्तेनैव भोजनम्

Transliteration

tasmānme'sti parā prītirbhaktiśca nṛpasattama | tatkuruṣva mayā dattaṃ svahastenaiva bhojanam

Translation

O raja yang terbaik, sebab itu aku menaruh kasih yang luhur serta bhakti yang mendalam kepadamu. Maka terimalah santapan ini yang aku sendiri persembahkan, disuap dan dihidang dengan tanganku sendiri.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: हेतुवाचक-अव्ययप्रयोग (ablative used adverbially: “therefore/from that reason”)

• मे: my/of me
• मे: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; enclitic form

• अस्ति: is/exists
• अस्ति: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• परा: supreme/great
• परा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (प्रीतिः)

• प्रीतिः: affection/pleasure
• प्रीतिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रीति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• भक्तिः: devotion
• भक्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• नृपसत्तम: O best of kings
• नृपसत्तम: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक) + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (नृपाणां सत्तमः = “best among kings”)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; “that (thing)”

• कुरुष्व: do (please do)
• कुरुष्व: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन, आत्मनेपद (कुरुष्व)

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• दत्तम्: given
• दत्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दा (धातु) → दत्त (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (भोजनम्)

• स्वहस्तेन: with (my) own hand
• स्वहस्तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + हस्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (स्वस्य हस्तेन = “with one’s own hand”)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Nipata (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle: “indeed/only”)

• भोजनम्: meal/food
• भोजनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Jamadagni

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Royal seer (nṛpasattama)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Jamadagni warmly invites the king to accept a meal prepared and served by the sage himself; the scene shows a simple but sanctified meal in the hermitage, with the king receiving respectfully.

Characters & Entities

• Jamadagni
• Nṛpasattama (the king)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Hospitality becomes devotion: feeding a guest personally is treated as a meritorious, sacred act.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse supports the tīrtha-māhātmya ambiance by sanctifying the āśrama as a place where dharma is enacted; no specific tīrtha name appears.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Annadāna/hospitality: accepting food offered with reverence, directly served by the host.