Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

यदन्नं केशसूत्रास्थिश्लेष्मादिभिरुपप्लुतम् । हीनजात्यैश्च संस्पृष्टं तदस्माकं प्रजायते

Transliteration

yadannaṃ keśasūtrāsthiśleṣmādibhirupaplutam | hīnajātyaiśca saṃspṛṣṭaṃ tadasmākaṃ prajāyate

Translation

อาหารใดเปื้อนปนด้วยเส้นผม เส้นด้าย กระดูก เสมหะ และสิ่งอื่นทำนองนั้น และถูกต้องโดยผู้ที่ถูกนับว่าเกิดต่ำ—อาหารเช่นนั้นแลเป็นของเรา

Word by Word

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; relative pronoun

• अन्नम्: food
• अन्नम्: Karma/Pratijna (Object/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• केश: hair
• केश: Sambandha (Compound-member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• सूत्र: thread
• सूत्र: Sambandha (Compound-member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; समासाङ्ग

• अस्थि: bone
• अस्थि: Sambandha (Compound-member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्थि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; समासाङ्ग

• श्लेष्म: phlegm
• श्लेष्म: Sambandha (Compound-member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्लेष्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; समासाङ्ग

• आदिभिः: and the like, etc.
• आदिभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; ‘etc.’ sense; with preceding compound

• केशसूत्रास्थिश्लेष्मादिभिः: with hair, thread, bone, phlegm, etc.
• केशसूत्रास्थिश्लेष्मादिभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: केश + सूत्र + अस्थि + श्लेष्म + आदि (प्रातिपदिक-समूह)
• Form: समाहार-द्वन्द्व (collective copulative), तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; instrument: ‘with hair, thread, bone, phlegm, etc.’

• उपप्लुतम्: defiled, contaminated
• उपप्लुतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उप + प्लु (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; ‘flooded/defiled’ qualifying अन्नम्

• हीन: low, inferior
• हीन: Sambandha (Compound-member)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासाङ्ग; ‘low/deficient’

• जात्यैः: by low castes/people of low birth
• जात्यैः: Karana (Instrument/Agent-contact)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन

• हीनजात्यैः: by low-born people
• हीनजात्यैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हीन + जाति (प्रातिपदिक-समास)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; ‘by persons of low birth’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction: and)

• संस्पृष्टम्: touched, contacted
• संस्पृष्टम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + स्पृश् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; ‘touched/handled’ qualifying अन्नम्

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; demonstrative pronoun

• अस्माकम्: of us / our
• अस्माकम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• प्रजायते: arises, comes about
• प्रजायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (likely a sage/teacher responding within the Tīrthamāhātmya dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nṛpa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stark illustrative tableau of impure food—hair, threads, bones, mucus—juxtaposed with the preta’s claim, while the king recoils in moral disgust.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It stresses śauca (purity) in food and contact, teaching that neglect of purity aligns one with preta-like conditions and suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse is part of the broader Tīrthamāhātmya context, but no single tīrtha is named in this specific śloka.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implied discipline: avoid consuming or accepting food that is materially defiled or ritually improper (anna-śuddhi).