Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

दृष्ट्वा ते विस्मयं जग्मुर्विस्तृते भक्ष्यभोजने । षड्रसेन नृपश्रेष्ठ भुक्त्वा हुत्वा पृथक्पृथक्

Transliteration

dṛṣṭvā te vismayaṃ jagmurvistṛte bhakṣyabhojane | ṣaḍrasena nṛpaśreṣṭha bhuktvā hutvā pṛthakpṛthak

Translation

ข้าแต่มหาราชผู้ประเสริฐ ครั้นเห็นภักษาหารและโภชนาที่จัดไว้กว้างขวาง พวกเขาก็พิศวงยิ่งนัก แล้วเมื่อบริโภคอาหารอันครบด้วยรสทั้งหกแล้ว แต่ละคนจึงถวายอาหุติในพิธีโหมะแยกกันไป

Word by Word

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• विस्मयम्: astonishment
• विस्मयम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विस्मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• जग्मुः: went/entered (into)
• जग्मुः: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद

• विस्तृते: spread out/laid out
• विस्तृते: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विस्तृत (प्रातिपदिक; √स्तृ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying भक्ष्यभोजने)

• भक्ष्य-भोजने: in the (array of) snacks and meals
• भक्ष्य-भोजने: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ष्य (प्रातिपदिक) + भोजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; द्वन्द्वः (itaretara)—‘भक्ष्यं च भोजनं च’

• षड्-रसेन: with the six tastes
• षड्-रसेन: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षट् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + रस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः—‘षड्रसः’ (six-flavoured)

• नृप-श्रेष्ठ: O best of kings
• नृप-श्रेष्ठ: Sambodhana (सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘नृपाणां श्रेष्ठ’

• भुक्त्वा: having eaten
• भुक्त्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund)

• हुत्वा: having offered (in fire)
• हुत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (पूर्वकाल-क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हु (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund)

• पृथक्: separately
• पृथक्: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृथक् (अव्यय)
• Form: भेदवाचक अव्यय (adverb: separately)

• पृथक्: each separately
• पृथक्: Kriya-visheshana (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृथक् (अव्यय)
• Form: पुनरुक्ति (reduplication for emphasis); भेदवाचक अव्यय

Speaker

Narrative speaker not explicit in excerpt (addressing a king: nṛpaśreṣṭha)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhūtagrāma (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Addressed to a king (nṛpaśreṣṭha) by the overarching narrator

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A broad spread of foods is laid out—grains, sweets, sour and spicy dishes—representing the six tastes; brāhmaṇas gaze in amazement, then eat; afterward each performs separate oblations into small ritual fires, with ladles and ghee.

Characters & Entities

• Agni (implied by hutvā)
• Six tastes (ṣaḍrasa)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Enjoyment is sanctified when followed by offering (homa) and gratitude—turning consumption into dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader Revā (Narmadā) sacred landscape is the setting, though this verse focuses on ritual hospitality rather than naming a specific tirtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

After bhojana (eating), performing huti/oblations (hutvā), implying a homa-like offering.