Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

निःशेषं भस्मसात्कृत्वा हुतभुग्याति भारत । तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन ब्राह्मणेभ्यो युधिष्ठिर । भक्तिः कार्या नृपैः सर्वैरिच्छद्भिः श्रेय आत्मनः

Transliteration

niḥśeṣaṃ bhasmasātkṛtvā hutabhugyāti bhārata | tasmātsarvaprayatnena brāhmaṇebhyo yudhiṣṭhira | bhaktiḥ kāryā nṛpaiḥ sarvairicchadbhiḥ śreya ātmanaḥ

Translation

اسے بالکل راکھ بنا کر آگ (اگنی) اسے بھسم کر کے کھا جاتی ہے، اے بھارت۔ اس لیے، اے یدھشٹھِر، تمام کوشش کے ساتھ بادشاہوں کو برہمنوں کے لیے بھکتی بھرا احترام کرنا چاہیے، کیونکہ جو اپنے اعلیٰ ترین بھلا چاہتے ہیں۔

Word by Word

• niḥśeṣam: completely, without remainder
• niḥśeṣam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niḥśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• bhasmasāt: to ashes, into ash-state
• bhasmasāt: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhasman + sāt (प्रातिपदिक; अव्ययीभाव-समास)
• Form: अव्ययम् (क्रियाविशेषणम्); ‘भस्म’ + ‘सात्’ = ‘भस्मभावं’

• kṛtvā: having done/made
• kṛtvā: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (कृ धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund); पूर्वकालिक-क्रिया

• hutabhuk: Agni (fire, eater of offerings)
• hutabhuk: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hutabhuj (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘हुतं भुङ्क्ते’ इति (अग्निः)

• yāti: goes, proceeds
• yāti: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: yā (या धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• bhārata: O Bhārata
• bhārata: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhārata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय-प्रयोगः (हेतु/तस्मात् = therefore)

• sarva-prayatnena: with every effort
• sarva-prayatnena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarva + prayatna (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषण-प्रयोगः (instrumental adverbial: with all effort)

• brāhmaṇebhyaḥ: to the brāhmaṇas
• brāhmaṇebhyaḥ: Sampradāna (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान), बहुवचन

• yudhiṣṭhira: O Yudhiṣṭhira
• yudhiṣṭhira: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yudhiṣṭhira (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• bhaktiḥ: devotion, reverence
• bhaktiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• kāryā: to be done/should be performed
• kāryā: Vidhi (Obligation)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kārya (प्रातिपदिक; कृ धातु से)
• Form: कृत्य-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/obligative), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम्

• nṛpaiḥ: by kings
• nṛpaiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/कर्तृ-करण), बहुवचन

• sarvaiḥ: by all
• sarvaiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (नृपैः)

• icchadbhiḥ: by those desiring
• icchadbhiḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: iṣ (इष्/इच्छ् धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान-कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (नृपैः)

• śreyaḥ: welfare, the good
• śreyaḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śreyas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्म (इच्छद्भिः)

• ātmanaḥ: of oneself
• ātmanaḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

Speaker

Vyāsa (explicit addressee: Yudhiṣṭhira; discourse style: rāja-dharma)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha milieu (Revākhaṇḍa)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic court-scene: a dharma-teacher addresses Yudhiṣṭhira; behind them a sacrificial fire blazes, symbolizing Agni’s consuming justice; Brāhmaṇas sit as honored guests while the king listens in humility.

Characters & Entities

• Agni (Hutabhuk)
• Yudhiṣṭhira

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A ruler’s welfare depends on protecting dharma by reverently supporting Brāhmaṇas and not violating righteous gifts.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single site is named; the teaching supports the dharmic ethos of the Revā region’s māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kings are enjoined to practice bhakti/respectful service toward Brāhmaṇas as a sustained dharmic duty.