Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

वरिष्ठमग्निहोत्राद्धि ब्राह्मणस्य मुखे हुतम् । विप्राणां वपुराश्रित्य सर्वास्तिष्ठंति देवताः

Transliteration

variṣṭhamagnihotrāddhi brāhmaṇasya mukhe hutam | viprāṇāṃ vapurāśritya sarvāstiṣṭhaṃti devatāḥ

Translation

ยิ่งกว่าอัคนิโหตร คือเครื่องบูชาที่ถวายเข้าสู่ปากของพราหมณ์ อาศัยกายของวิปรผู้รู้ เหล่าเทวะทั้งปวงดำรงอยู่ ณ ที่นั้น

Word by Word

• वरिष्ठम्: the best, most excellent
• वरिष्ठम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वरिष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक; वर-शब्दस्य तमत्-प्रत्ययान्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; तमत्-प्रत्यय (superlative)

• अग्निहोत्रात्: from the Agnihotra sacrifice
• अग्निहोत्रात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्निहोत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; समासः—अग्नौ होत्रम् इति (तत्पुरुष)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय; अर्थे—खलु/नूनम् (indeed)

• ब्राह्मणस्य: of a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• मुखे: in the mouth
• मुखे: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• हुतम्: offered, poured (as oblation)
• हुतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: हु (धातु) + क्त (प्रत्यय) → हुत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle/क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘हूयते’ इत्यर्थः

• विप्राणाम्: of the Brahmins
• विप्राणाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• वपुः: body, form
• वपुः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वपुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• आश्रित्य: having resorted to, depending on
• आश्रित्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ-श्रि (धातु) + ल्यप् (प्रत्यय) → आश्रित्य (अव्ययीभाव-भावे कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यबन्त अव्यय (gerund), क्रियाविशेषण; अर्थः—आश्रयम् कृत्वा (having resorted to)

• सर्वाः: all
• सर्वाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन; ‘देवताः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• तिष्ठन्ति: stand, abide
• तिष्ठन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• देवताः: deities
• देवताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the assembled sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim offers food/water into the hands/mouth of a seated brahmana; above or subtly within him, multiple deities are suggested as residing—an adbhuta ‘living shrine’ motif; a small homa-fire in the background contrasts with the ‘mouth-offering’.

Characters & Entities

• Agnihotra
• Brāhmaṇa
• Devatāḥ (deities)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Hospitality and giving to the worthy (especially feeding Brāhmaṇas) is exalted as a high form of sacrifice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where dāna and satkāra are integral to pilgrimage merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offering food to Brāhmaṇas (anna-dāna/atithi-sevā) is praised as surpassing even agnihotra in excellence.