Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

तव क्षुत्क्षामकण्ठस्य मया भक्तिः कृता मुने । यथासिद्धेन भोज्येन तत्कस्माच्छप्तुमुद्यतः

Transliteration

tava kṣutkṣāmakaṇṭhasya mayā bhaktiḥ kṛtā mune | yathāsiddhena bhojyena tatkasmācchaptumudyataḥ

Translation

ข้าแต่มุนี เมื่อเห็นลำคอท่านแห้งผากเพราะความหิว ข้าพเจ้าได้ปรนนิบัติด้วยภักติ และถวายอาหารเท่าที่มี เหตุไฉนท่านจึงมุ่งจะสาปข้าพเจ้า?

Word by Word

• तव: of you, your
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yusmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• क्षुत्: hunger
• क्षुत्: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣudh (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; (समासाङ्ग) 'hunger'

• क्षाम: emaciated
• क्षाम: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṣāma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुं/स्त्री, प्रातिपदिक (समासाङ्ग); 'emaciated, lean'

• कण्ठस्य: of (your) throat (emaciated by hunger)
• कण्ठस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaṇṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; पूर्वपदद्वयेन कर्मधारय-समास: क्षुत्-क्षामः कण्ठः (a throat emaciated by hunger)

• मया: by me
• मया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• भक्तिः: devotion, service
• भक्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• कृता: done, rendered
• कृता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु) + kta → kṛta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle): 'done/made' (agreeing with भक्तिः)

• मुने: O sage
• मुने: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8th), एकवचन

• यथा: as, according to
• यथा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (उपमान/प्रकार-adverb): 'as, according to'

• सिद्धेन: with what was available
• सिद्धेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: siddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; 'obtained/available' (agreeing with भोज्येन)

• भोज्येन: with food
• भोज्येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhojya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; 'food (to be eaten)'

• तत्: then/therefore, that
• तत्: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम; here = 'that/therefore' (correlative)

• कस्मात्: why, from what reason
• कस्मात्: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुं, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक: 'from what cause/why'

• शप्तुम्: to curse
• शप्तुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √śap (शप् धातु) + तुमुन् → śaptum (कृदन्त-अव्यय/infinitive)
• Form: तुमुनन्त (infinitive): 'to curse'

• उद्यतः: ready, intent
• उद्यतः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ud-√yam (यम् धातु) + kta → udyata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त: 'raised/ready/intent'

Speaker

Rājā (the king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The king gestures toward a simple offering—coarse but earnest food—while addressing the sage; the sage’s gaze is stern, the king’s eyes plead for fairness.

Characters & Entities

• Durvāsā
• Rājā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even sincere service must align with dharmic rules; devotion is praised, yet discipline in vows and ritual contexts still matters.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

This verse sits within the Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya framework; the immediate verse focuses on the ethical tension in a tīrtha narrative rather than naming a distinct site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription here; it introduces the context of feeding a sage with available food (yathāsiddha-bhojana).