Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 91

Devanagari script

इह शत्रुगृहे त्वन्धा भ्रमन्ते दीनमूर्तयः । पितृदेवद्विजेभ्योऽन्नमदत्त्वा येऽत्र भुञ्जते

Transliteration

iha śatrugṛhe tvandhā bhramante dīnamūrtayaḥ | pitṛdevadvijebhyo'nnamadattvā ye'tra bhuñjate

Translation

ณ ที่นี้ พวกเขาเร่ร่อนไปอย่างคนตาบอดในบ้านของศัตรู มีรูปร่างที่น่าสังเวช คือผู้ที่กินอาหารโดยไม่ถวายแก่บรรพบุรุษ เทพเจ้า และพราหมณ์

Word by Word

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय

• शत्रुगृहे: in an enemy's house
• शत्रुगृहे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत्रु + गृह (प्रातिपदिक); शत्रु-गृह
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (षष्ठी: 'of an enemy' + 'house')

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: Sambandha/Particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (contrast/emphasis)

• अन्धाः: blind
• अन्धाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• भ्रमन्ते: wander
• भ्रमन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भ्रम् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• दीनमूर्तयः: of wretched appearance
• दीनमूर्तयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीन + मूर्ति (प्रातिपदिक); दीन-मूर्ति
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (descriptive: 'wretched' + 'form')

• पितृदेवद्विजेभ्यः: to ancestors, gods, and Brahmins
• पितृदेवद्विजेभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ + देव + द्विज (प्रातिपदिक); पितृ-देव-द्विज
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/also Dative plural form समान), बहुवचन; द्वन्द्व-समास (copulative: 'ancestors, gods, and twice-born'); अर्थतः सम्प्रदान (to)

• अन्नम्: food
• अन्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अदत्त्वा: without giving
• अदत्त्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु) + क्त्वा (प्रत्यय) with negation अ-
• Form: नञ्-पूर्वक क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); 'without giving'

• ये: those who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय

• भुञ्जते: eat/enjoy
• भुञ्जते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Skanda Purana narrative style within Āvantya Khaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-mahātmya context

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A man eats alone, ignoring offerings; the consequence is shown as a blind, pitiable figure wandering in a hostile household, begging for scraps; pitṛs and devas appear as unseen witnesses withdrawing grace.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs (ancestors)
• Devas
• Dvijas (twice-born)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Food is sacred; withholding offerings and charity breeds spiritual blindness and social misery.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single site is named; the Revā Khaṇḍa setting generally supports tīrtha-dharma through charity and right conduct.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Giving food (anna-dāna) and due offerings to pitṛs and devas, and feeding dvijas/guests before or alongside one’s own eating.