Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 103

Devanagari script

दासनापितगोपालकुलमित्रार्द्धसीरिणः । भोज्यान्नाः शूद्रवर्गेमी तथात्मविनिवेदकः

Transliteration

dāsanāpitagopālakulamitrārddhasīriṇaḥ | bhojyānnāḥ śūdravargemī tathātmavinivedakaḥ

Translation

அடிமைகள், நாவிதர்கள், கோபாலர்கள், குலநண்பர்கள், அரை-உழவு செய்யும் பணிவான உழவர்கள், மேலும் சூத்ரவர்க்கத்தில் விருந்தோம்பலில் அளிக்கப்பட்ட போஜ்ய அன்னத்தைப் பெறுவோர்—ஆத்மநிவேதனமும் பக்திசேவையும் உடையவர்களாக இருந்தால்—அவர்களும் தர்மாரண்ய தர்மத்தைப் பின்பற்றும் வாசிகளாகக் கணிக்கப்படுவர்।

Word by Word

• dāsa: servant
• dāsa: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• nāpita: barber
• nāpita: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāpita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• gopāla: cowherd
• gopāla: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gopāla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• kula: family/lineage
• kula: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kula (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• mitra: friend
• mitra: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mitra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative singular)

• arddha-sīriṇaḥ: half-ploughmen / those with half-plough share
• arddha-sīriṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: arddha (प्रातिपदिक) + sīrin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचन (Nominative plural); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (determinative: ‘half-’ + ‘ploughman/holder of plough’)

• bhojya-annāḥ: edible foods / foods to be eaten
• bhojya-annāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhojya (कृदन्त; √bhuj भुज् ‘to eat/enjoy’) + anna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-बहुवचन (Nominative plural); कर्मधारय (anna qualified by bhojya: ‘edible food’)

• śūdra-varga-emī: I go/associate with the Śūdra group
• śūdra-varga-emī: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: śūdra (प्रातिपदिक) + varga (प्रातिपदिक) + emī (धातु √i इ ‘to go’, लट् 1st sg)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन (1st person singular); पूर्वपद-समास: शूद्रवर्ग (षष्ठी/तत्पुरुष ‘group of Śūdras’) + emī (I go/approach)

• tathā: thus/also
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः: अव्यय/समुच्चयार्थ (indeclinable, ‘thus/also’)

• ātma-vinivedakaḥ: one who offers himself / self-surrenderer
• ātma-vinivedakaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक) + vinivedaka (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; √vid/√nived ‘to submit/offer’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-एकवचन (Nominative singular); तत्पुरुष (object-determinative: ‘one who offers/submits oneself’)

Speaker

Narratorial voice (contextually: Vyāsa continuing the discourse to Yudhiṣṭhira)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmāraṇya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred forest settlement of Dharmāraṇya: humble service-figures—barber with tools, cowherd with cattle, cultivator with half-plough, servants and family-friends—stand near a hermitage, offering respectful service and food, embodying self-surrender.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmāraṇya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma in a sacred place is not limited by social occupation; sincere self-dedication and righteous conduct are honored.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmāraṇya—presented as a sacred forest-region where residents are guided by a distinct code of conduct.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific ritual is prescribed here; the verse emphasizes ethical categories (service, hospitality, self-surrender) within dharma.