Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

सहस्रं तु सहस्राणामनृचां यस्तु भोजयेत् । एकस्य मन्त्रयुक्तस्य कलां नार्हति षोडशीम्

Transliteration

sahasraṃ tu sahasrāṇāmanṛcāṃ yastu bhojayet | ekasya mantrayuktasya kalāṃ nārhati ṣoḍaśīm

Translation

แม้ผู้ใดจะเลี้ยงพราหมณ์นับพัน ๆ ที่ไร้การสาธยายฤคเวท ก็ยังไม่อาจเทียบได้แม้เพียงหนึ่งในสิบหกส่วนแห่งบุญของการเลี้ยงผู้เดียวผู้ประกอบด้วยมนตร์

Word by Word

• सहस्रम्: a thousand
• सहस्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd); एकवचन; संख्यावाचक

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• सहस्राणाम्: of thousands
• सहस्राणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th); बहुवचन

• अनृचाम्: of those without ṛc (non-Rigvedic reciters)
• अनृचाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनृच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति; बहुवचन (genitive dependent on सहस्राणाम्: “of non-R̥g-chanters/without ṛc”)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• भोजयेत्: should feed
• भोजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भोजय् (धातु; √भुज्, णिच्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• एकस्य: of one
• एकस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक; षष्ठी-विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifies मन्त्रयुक्तस्य)

• मन्त्रयुक्तस्य: of one endowed with mantra (proper Vedic mantras)
• मन्त्रयुक्तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + युक्त (कृदन्त; √युज् योजने + क्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (मन्त्रेण युक्तः); पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी-विभक्ति; एकवचन; विशेषण

• कलाम्: a fraction/part
• कलाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• अर्हति: is worthy/amounts to
• अर्हति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह् (धातु; √अर्ह् योग्यता)
• Form: लट्-लकार; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• षोडशीम्: sixteenth
• षोडशीम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षोडश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति; एकवचन; संख्यावाचक-विशेषण (qualifies कलाम्)

Speaker

Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Soma-tīrtha (within Revā-khaṇḍa)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contrast tableau: a large crowd of unlearned recipients on one side, and a single serene Veda-knower holding a manuscript/rosary on the other; a subtle scale motif shows the single mantra-yukta outweighing the many.

Characters & Entities

• Mantra-yukta (Veda-qualified)
• Brāhmaṇas
• Bhojana (feeding)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In dāna, the recipient’s spiritual qualification and the giver’s intention shape the fruit; quality can outweigh sheer quantity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instruction is embedded in Somatīrtha’s māhātmya, where charity is taught as especially potent.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Prefer feeding a mantra-qualified, Veda-grounded person; it is said to yield far greater merit than feeding many unqualified recipients.