Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

भुञ्जतेऽस्म द्विजा राजन्यावत्पात्रे पृथक्पृथक् । यत्रयत्र च पश्यन्ति तत्रतत्र कृमिर्बहुः

Transliteration

bhuñjate'sma dvijā rājanyāvatpātre pṛthakpṛthak | yatrayatra ca paśyanti tatratatra kṛmirbahuḥ

Translation

ข้าแต่พระราชา เหล่าพราหมณ์กำลังฉันอยู่ ณ ที่นี้ ต่างคนต่างมีภาชนะของตน แต่ไม่ว่าพวกเขาจะมองไปทางใด ที่นั่นๆ ก็ปรากฏหนอนมากมาย

Word by Word

• भुञ्जते: they eat
• भुञ्जते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), आत्मनेपद

• अस्म: here
• अस्म: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अस्म (अव्यय/निपात)
• Form: निपात (particle), पदपूरण/अनुनासिक-रूप; अर्थे: 'अत्र/इह' (here)

• द्विजाः: the twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन (Plural)

• राजन्: O king
• राजन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन (Singular)

• यावत्: as much as/so long as
• यावत्: Sambandha (Measure/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय/सम्बन्ध-शब्द)
• Form: परिमाणवाचक-अव्यय (correlative: as much/as long as)

• पात्रे: in the vessel/plate
• पात्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन (Singular)

• पृथक्: separately
• पृथक्: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृथक् (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb), पुनरुक्ति-प्रयोग

• पृथक्: each separately
• पृथक्: Sambandha (Manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पृथक् (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb), पुनरुक्ति-प्रयोग

• यत्र: wherever
• यत्र: Sambandha (Correlation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• यत्र: wherever
• यत्र: Sambandha (Correlation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (reduplication)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय (conjunction)

• पश्यन्ति: they see
• पश्यन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Sambandha (Correlation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (correlative: there)

• तत्र: right there
• तत्र: Sambandha (Correlation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (reduplication)

• कृमिः: a worm
• कृमिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृमि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (Singular)

• बहुः: many/abundant
• बहुः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

Speaker

Narrator addressing a King (rājan) (deduced from vocative 'rājan')

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brāhmaṇas seated to eat, each with a separate vessel; as they glance around, worms appear in multiple spots, unsettling the meal; a king is addressed in narration.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas (Dvijāḥ)
• King (Rājan)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Purāṇic storytelling, sudden impurity during sacred acts can signal a moral fault—often linked to negligence in hospitality or dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Revā-kṣetra setting (Narmadā/Revā region) within the Revā Khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A communal brāhmaṇa meal (separate vessels) is described; the verse itself does not prescribe, but frames a dharmic narrative around ritual purity.