Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

ताम्रपात्रे न भुञ्जीत कदाचिद्वा गृही नरः । चातुर्मास्ये विशेषेण ताम्रपात्रं विवर्जयेत्

Transliteration

tāmrapātre na bhuñjīta kadācidvā gṛhī naraḥ | cāturmāsye viśeṣeṇa tāmrapātraṃ vivarjayet

Translation

居家之人不应在任何时候以铜器进食；尤其在四月斋期（Cāturmāsya）之中，更当远离一切铜制器具。

Word by Word

• tāmrapātre: in a copper vessel
• tāmrapātre: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tāmra-pātra (प्रातिपदिक; ताम्र + पात्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• bhuñjīta: should eat
• bhuñjīta: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhuj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• kadācit: at any time
• kadācit: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kadācit (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb of time: 'ever/at any time')

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Alternative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्प (disjunctive particle)

• gṛhī: a householder
• gṛhī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gṛhin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/Nominative); एकवचन

• cāturmāsye: in the Cāturmāsya period
• cāturmāsye: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: cāturmāsya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/Locative); एकवचन

• viśeṣeṇa: especially
• viśeṣeṇa: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: viśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययीभाव (instrumental used adverbially); क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: 'especially')

• tāmrapātram: a copper vessel
• tāmrapātram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tāmra-pātra (प्रातिपदिक; ताम्र + पात्र)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative); एकवचन

• vivarjayet: should avoid
• vivarjayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vi-√vṛj (धातु; वर्ज्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Brahmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Inside a simple household shrine-room, a householder sets aside a copper plate, choosing an alternative leaf-plate; a calendar-like Cāturmāsya marker (four-month symbol) hangs nearby; the mood is disciplined and calm.

Characters & Entities

• Cāturmāsya
• Gṛhastha (householder)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Vrata discipline extends to ordinary habits; regulating one’s eating implements is presented as a meaningful form of self-restraint.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific tirtha is named in this verse; it is part of the Cāturmāsya instruction stream within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra frame.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Do not eat from copper vessels, with heightened strictness during Cāturmāsya.