Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

यत्र भुञ्जति भस्माङ्गी मूर्खो वा यदि पण्डितः । तत्र भुञ्जति देवेशः सपत्नीको वृषध्वजः

Transliteration

yatra bhuñjati bhasmāṅgī mūrkho vā yadi paṇḍitaḥ | tatra bhuñjati deveśaḥ sapatnīko vṛṣadhvajaḥ

Translation

ที่ใดผู้ภักดีผู้ทากายด้วยเถ้าศักดิ์สิทธิ์รับประทาน—จะโง่หรือบัณฑิตก็ตาม—ที่นั้นพระผู้เป็นเจ้าแห่งเทวะ ผู้มีธงวัว ย่อมเสวยพร้อมพระชายา

Word by Word

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, स्थानवाचक (relative adverb)

• भुञ्जति: eats
• भुञ्जति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भुज् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; ‘eats/partakes’

• भस्माङ्गी: the ash-smeared one (Śiva-yogin)
• भस्माङ्गी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भस्म (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्गिन्/अङ्गी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः ‘भस्म अङ्गेषु यस्य सः’ (one whose body is (smeared with) ash)

• मूर्खः: a fool
• मूर्खः: Karta (Alternative subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूर्ख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• वा: or
• वा: Vikalpa (Disjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, विकल्पार्थक निपात (disjunctive particle)

• यदि: if
• यदि: Nimitta (Condition marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, शर्तार्थक (conditional particle)

• पण्डितः: a learned man
• पण्डितः: Karta (Alternative subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पण्डित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, स्थानवाचक (correlative adverb)

• भुञ्जति: eats/partakes
• भुञ्जति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भुज् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• देवेशः: Lord of gods
• देवेशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘देवानाम् ईशः’

• सपत्नीकाḥ: with (his) consort
• सपत्नीकाḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of ‘देवेशः/वृषध्वजः’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (अव्यय-उपसर्गसदृश) + पत्नी (प्रातिपदिक) + क (प्रातिपदिक-प्रत्यय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः ‘पत्नी सहितः’ (accompanied by (his) consort)

• वृषध्वजः: Bull-bannered (Śiva)
• वृषध्वजः: Apposition (Same referent as ‘देवेशः’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृष (प्रातिपदिक) + ध्वज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः ‘वृषः ध्वजः यस्य सः’ (he whose banner is the bull)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhakta-bhojana-sthala (devotee’s dining place as sacred)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An ash-smeared devotee sits to eat a simple meal; beside him, subtly revealed, Śiva with Pārvatī partakes invisibly—only hinted by a faint divine aura and shared plate.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Vṛṣadhvaja)
• Pārvatī (implied by sa-patnīka)
• Deveśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s grace follows sincere devotion; external status (learned or unlearned) is secondary to bhakti.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tīrtha is named; the verse emphasizes the sanctifying power of a Śaiva devotee within the Revā Khaṇḍa milieu.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bhasma-dhāraṇa (wearing sacred ash) and the sanctity of food taken as devotional participation (prasāda).