Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

एकस्मिन्भोजिते पौत्र भिक्षुके फलमीदृशम् । दातव्यं भिक्षुके चान्नं कुर्य्याद्वै चात्मविक्रयम्

Transliteration

ekasminbhojite pautra bhikṣuke phalamīdṛśam | dātavyaṃ bhikṣuke cānnaṃ kuryyādvai cātmavikrayam

Translation

يا حفيدي، هكذا تكون ثمرةُ العمل الصالح إذا أُطعِمَ متسوّلٌ ناسكٌ واحدٌ ولو كان واحدًا. لذلك ينبغي أن يُعطى الطعامُ للمتنسّك حقًّا، ولو اضطرّ المرء إلى تحمّل مشقّةٍ بالغة كأنّه يبيعُ نفسَه لأجل ذلك.

Word by Word

• एकस्मिन्: in/with one (case)
• एकस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Locative (7th), Singular; विशेषणम् (भोजिते)

• भोजिते: when (someone is) fed
• भोजिते: Adhikarana (Occasion/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोजित (कृदन्त; √भुज्/भोज् + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Locative (7th), Singular; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, ‘भोजिते’ = ‘भोजने कृत’/‘भोजिते (कर्मणि)’

• पौत्र: O grandson
• पौत्र: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पौत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन — Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• भिक्षुके: in the case of a mendicant
• भिक्षुके: Adhikarana (Reference/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भिक्षुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Locative (7th), Singular

• फलम्: the fruit/result
• फलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Nominative (1st), Singular

• ईदृशम्: such, of this kind
• ईदृशम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ईदृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular; विशेषणम् (फलम्)

• दातव्यम्: should be given
• दातव्यम्: Vidhi (Obligation/विधि)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु √दा) + तव्यत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त विधिलिङ्गार्थक कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — Gerundive/Obligative: ‘should be given’

• भिक्षुके: to a mendicant
• भिक्षुके: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भिक्षुक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Dative (4th), Singular

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अन्नम्: food
• अन्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Neuter, Nom./Acc., Singular

• कुर्यात्: should do
• कुर्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Optative, 3rd Person, Singular

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• आत्मविक्रयम्: selling oneself (self-sale)
• आत्मविक्रयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आत्मन्-विक्रय (प्रातिपदिक; आत्मन् + विक्रय)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन — Masculine, Accusative (2nd), Singular; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (आत्मनः विक्रयः)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: pautra (grandson)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A poor pilgrim offers his last food to a bhikṣuka; in the background, he parts with a valued possession to procure food, symbolizing ‘ātma-vikraya’ as extreme renunciation; divine light crowns the act.

Characters & Entities

• Bhikṣu (mendicant)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even one act of feeding a mendicant is immensely meritorious; generosity should be pursued wholeheartedly.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The chapter’s setting is Dvārakā, where such dāna is portrayed as exceptionally fruitful.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Give food to a bhikṣu; the verse urges doing so even at great personal cost.