Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 14

Devanagari script

दूराध्वानं पथि श्रांतं वैश्वदेवांत आगतम् । अतिथिं तं विजानीयान्नातिथिः पूर्वमागतः

Transliteration

dūrādhvānaṃ pathi śrāṃtaṃ vaiśvadevāṃta āgatam | atithiṃ taṃ vijānīyānnātithiḥ pūrvamāgataḥ

Translation

ผู้ที่เดินทางไกล เหนื่อยล้ากลางทาง แล้วมาถึงในกาลหลังพิธีไวศวเทวะ ผู้นั้นพึงรู้ว่าเป็นอธิถีแท้; ผู้ที่มาก่อนหน้านั้นไม่ชื่อว่าอธิถีในความหมายนี้

Word by Word

• दूराध्वानम्: having traveled a long distance
• दूराध्वानम्: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दूर + अध्वन् (प्रातिपदिक); दूर-अध्वन्
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः (दूरः अध्वा यस्य/दूरम् अध्वानम्) — ‘long-distance (journey)’ इति विशेषणरूपेण

• पथि: on the road
• पथि: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पथिन्/पथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• श्रान्तम्: weary
• श्रान्तम्: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रम् (धातु) → श्रान्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्तः (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• वैश्वदेव-अन्ते: at the end of the vaiśvadeva offering
• वैश्वदेव-अन्ते: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैश्वदेव (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; सप्तमी-तत्पुरुषः (वैश्वदेवस्य अन्ते)

• आगतम्: arrived
• आगतम्: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + गम् (धातु) → आगत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्तः (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; ‘आगतम्’ = प्राप्तम् (arrived)

• अतिथिम्: a guest
• अतिथिम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अतिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (कर्म), एकवचनम्

• तम्: that (one)
• तम्: Karman (Object-apposition/कर्म-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• विजानीयात्: should recognize
• विजानीयात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथम-पुरुषः, एकवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्; ‘one should recognize/know’

• न: not
• न: Negation (Avyaya function)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्ययम् (negation)

• अतिथिः: (as) a guest
• अतिथिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अतिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• पूर्वम्: earlier/before
• पूर्वम्: Kala-adhikarana (Temporal adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्ययम् (adverb of time)

• आगतः: has arrived
• आगतः: Karta (Predicate/कर्तृ-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ + गम् (धातु) → आगत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्तः (क्त), पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; ‘आगतः’ = प्राप्तः

Speaker

Deductive (Nāgarakhaṇḍa Tīrthamāhātmya narration; likely Sūta speaking to sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dusty, tired traveler arrives at dusk just after the household’s vaiśvadeva offering; the host recognizes him as atithi and prepares a meal, while earlier visitors sit aside.

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśvadeva
• Atithi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma gives a practical definition of ‘atithi’: the unexpected, travel-worn visitor who arrives at the proper ritual time deserves special honour.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is specified; the verse is normative dharma used within the tīrtha narrative tradition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

After completing vaiśvadeva, one should treat the newly arrived traveller as the atithi; earlier arrivals are treated differently.