Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

जिह्वालौल्येन देवेश पशोर्गुदमजानता । भक्षितं तन्मया देव होमार्थं यत्प्रकल्पितम्

Transliteration

jihvālaulyena deveśa paśorgudamajānatā | bhakṣitaṃ tanmayā deva homārthaṃ yatprakalpitam

Translation

“ข้าแต่เทวาธิราช ด้วยความโลภแห่งลิ้น โดยไม่รู้ว่าเป็นทวารหนักของสัตว์ ข้าแต่พระผู้เป็นเจ้า ข้าพระองค์ได้กินสิ่งที่จัดเตรียมไว้เพื่อพิธีโหมะ”

Word by Word

• जिह्वा: of the tongue
• जिह्वा: Sambandha (Genitive in compound)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जिह्वा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (समासपूर्वपद-भाव), एकवचन

• लौल्येन: due to greed of the tongue
• लौल्येन: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लौल्यम्/लौल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: जिह्वा-लौल्य (जिह्वायाः लौल्यं); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन

• देवेश: O Lord of gods
• देवेश: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: देव-ईश; पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन, एकवचन

• पशोः: of the sacrificial animal
• पशोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पशु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• गुदम्: anus/rectum (part)
• गुदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गुद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• अजानता: while not knowing
• अजानता: Karta (Agent in instrumental)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु) + न-प्रत्यय (नञ्) + शतृ (कृदन्त)
• Form: नञ्-पूर्वक वर्तमानकाले शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (present participle: ‘not knowing’), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; कर्तृवाचक (agreeing with मया)

• भक्षितम्: was eaten
• भक्षितम्: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भक्ष् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि (was eaten)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (भक्षितम् इत्यस्य कर्म/विषय)

• मया: by me
• मया: Karta (Agent/कर्ता in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया, एकवचन

• देव: O god
• देव: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन, एकवचन

• होम: of oblation (homa)
• होम: Sambandha (Genitive in compound)
• Type: Noun
• Root: होम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (समासपूर्वपद-भाव), एकवचन

• अर्थम्: for the purpose of homa
• अर्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी-तत्पुरुष/प्रयोजन-तत्पुरुष: होम-अर्थ (होमाय अर्थः/प्रयोजनम्); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोजनार्थे)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• प्रकल्पितम्: prepared, arranged
• प्रकल्पितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्र + कल्प् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (यत्/तत्)

Speaker

The afflicted brāhmaṇa (confessing to Pitāmaha)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The brāhmaṇa confesses: near a homa altar, offerings laid out; he, driven by tongue-greed, mistakenly ate an impure part meant for the rite; Brahmā listens gravely.

Characters & Entities

• Pitāmaha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Uncontrolled sense-craving (especially taste) can lead to grave lapses in ritual purity and dharma, producing heavy consequences.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named in this verse; it narrates the moral/ritual cause within the broader Tīrthamāhātmya chapter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It references homa/yajña context and an act that defiles what was prepared for the offering, implying the need for prāyaścitta later.