Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 100

Devanagari script

पक्वान्नगंधमाघ्राय क्षुधितः स तमन्वगात् । इदमन्नं मया ग्राह्यं शिवायोपस्कृतं निशि

Transliteration

pakvānnagaṃdhamāghrāya kṣudhitaḥ sa tamanvagāt | idamannaṃ mayā grāhyaṃ śivāyopaskṛtaṃ niśi

Translation

เมื่อได้กลิ่นหอมของภัตตาหารสุก ผู้หิวโหยนั้นจึงตามเขาไป พลางคิดว่า “อาหารนี้เราควรเอาไป แม้จะถูกจัดเตรียมไว้ในราตรีเพื่อถวายแด่พระศิวะก็ตาม”

Word by Word

• पक्वान्नगन्धम्: the smell of cooked food
• पक्वान्नगन्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पक्व (कृदन्त/विशेषण) + अन्न (प्रातिपदिक) + गन्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (पक्वान्नस्य गन्धः); पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (accusative singular)

• आघ्राय: having smelled
• आघ्राय: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ+घ्रा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• क्षुधितः: hungry
• क्षुधितः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षुध् (धातु) → क्षुधित (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; विशेषण

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (nominative singular)

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (accusative singular)

• अन्वगात्: followed
• अन्वगात्: Kriya (Verbal action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु+गम् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (aorist); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• इदम्: this
• इदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (nom./acc. singular); अत्र द्वितीया (object)

• अन्नम्: food
• अन्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन (accusative singular)

• मया: by me
• मया: Kartr̥/Instrument (Agent in passive/कर्ता-करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन (instrumental singular)

• ग्राह्यम्: to be taken / should be taken
• ग्राह्यम्: Vidhi (Obligation predicate/विधि)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ग्रह् (धातु) → ग्राह्य (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्यय (यत्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicative: 'to be taken')

• शिवाय: for Śiva
• शिवाय: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन (dative singular)

• उपस्कृतम्: prepared
• उपस्कृतम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उप+कृ (धातु) → उपस्कृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with अन्नम्)

• निशि: at night
• निशि: Adhikaraṇa (Time locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निशा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन (locative singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative, typically Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (context of Śiva-naivedya)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A hungry man catches the aroma of cooked food carried as Śiva’s offering; he follows stealthily, torn between reverence and hunger, rationalizing taking it.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Śivarātri (implied by context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Desire and hunger test dharma; what is dedicated to the deity (naivedya) is treated as sacred and not to be appropriated selfishly.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the overarching sacred setting; the verse underscores the sanctity of Śiva’s worship within Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied is the practice of preparing food as an offering (naivedya) for Śiva, especially during night observances like Śivarātri.