Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

तथा खाद्यानि लेह्यानि चोष्याणि च विशेषतः । पिता तव कथं सोऽद्य कषायाणि कटूनि च । भक्षयिष्यति दत्तानि स्वहस्तेन मया विभो

Transliteration

tathā khādyāni lehyāni coṣyāṇi ca viśeṣataḥ | pitā tava kathaṃ so'dya kaṣāyāṇi kaṭūni ca | bhakṣayiṣyati dattāni svahastena mayā vibho

Translation

అలాగే నానావిధమైన భోజ్యాలు—చర్వ్యము, లేహ్యము, చోష్యము—ప్రత్యేకంగా. ఓ ప్రభో, నేడు మీ తండ్రి నా స్వహస్తముతో ఇచ్చిన కషాయ (కసర) మరియు కటు (తీవ్ర) పదార్థాలను ఎలా భక్షించగలడు?

Word by Word

• tathā: thus, likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध-क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb)

• khādyāni: foods to be eaten
• khādyāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: khādya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन (neuter, nominative/accusative plural)

• lehyāni: lickables (confections)
• lehyāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: lehya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक/conjunction)

• oṣyāṇi: suckables (to be sucked)
• oṣyāṇi: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: oṣya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक/conjunction)

• viśeṣataḥ: especially
• viśeṣataḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: viśeṣatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb)

• pitā: father
• pitā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (masc., nominative singular)

• tava: your
• tava: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी विभक्ति, एकवचन (genitive singular pronoun)

• katham: how
• katham: Sambandha (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: katham (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (प्रश्नार्थक/ interrogative adverb)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन (masc., nominative singular pronoun)

• adya: today, now
• adya: Sambandha (Temporal/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: adya (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (कालवाचक/time-adverb)

• kaṣāyāṇi: astringent (things)
• kaṣāyāṇi: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kaṣāya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन (neuter, accusative plural; qualifying foods)

• kaṭūni: pungent (things)
• kaṭūni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kaṭu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन (neuter, accusative plural; qualifying foods)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक/conjunction)

• bhakṣayiṣyati: will eat
• bhakṣayiṣyati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhakṣ (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (भविष्यत्काल/future), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• dattāni: given
• dattāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √dā (धातु) + datta (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि/भूतकृत् (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन; (given) qualifying objects

• svahastena: with (my) own hand
• svahastena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva + hasta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: स्वस्य हस्तः), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (instrumental singular)

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Kartr̥ (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (instrumental singular pronoun)

• vibho: O mighty one
• vibho: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vibhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन विभक्ति, एकवचन (vocative singular)

Speaker

Unspecified female speaker within the narrative (context suggests Sītā speaking to Rāma)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A domestic forest/pilgrimage camp scene: a devoted woman offers assorted foods (chewable, lickable, suckable) with worried expression, questioning how an elder (Rāma’s father) could eat pungent/astringent items offered by her own hand.

Characters & Entities

• Daśaratha (implied as Rāma’s father)
• Rāma (vibho)
• food offerings

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Reverence toward elders and carefulness in service (seva) are dharmic virtues, heightened in a tīrtha setting where spiritual realities are near.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse occurs within Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya, but the named tīrtha is not present in the provided lines.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No formal rite is prescribed; it references the giving of food by one’s own hand as an act of service.