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

O muni, nang makita kong tuyot ang iyong lalamunan sa gutom, naglingkod ako sa iyo nang may debosyon at naghandog ng anumang pagkaing mayroon. Bakit ngayon nais mo akong sumpain?

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).