Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

छन्दोगं भोजयेच्छ्राद्धे वैश्वदेवे च बह्वृचम् । पुष्टिकर्मण्यथाध्वर्युं शान्तिकर्मण्यथर्वणम्

Transliteration

chandogaṃ bhojayecchrāddhe vaiśvadeve ca bahvṛcam | puṣṭikarmaṇyathādhvaryuṃ śāntikarmaṇyatharvaṇam

Translation

في شرادها (Śrāddha) يُطعَمُ الشاندوغا؛ وفي طقس فايشفاديفا (Vaiśvadeva) يُطعَمُ الباهفْرِتش. وفي أعمال البُشْتي (puṣṭi) للإخصاب والزيادة يُطعَمُ الأدهفَرْيُو؛ وفي أعمال الشانتي (śānti) للتهدئة يُطعَمُ كاهنُ الأتهرفان.

Word by Word

• chandogam: a Chāndoga (Sāmavedin)
• chandogam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: chandoga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• bhojayet: should feed
• bhojayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhuj (धातु, णिच्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच्-प्रयोगः (भोजयति = causes to eat)

• śrāddhe: at the śrāddha rite
• śrāddhe: Adhikarana (Occasion/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन

• vaiśvadeve: at the vaiśvadeva rite
• vaiśvadeve: Adhikarana (Occasion/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vaiśvadeva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• bahvṛcam: a Bahvṛc (Ṛgvedin)
• bahvṛcam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bahvṛc (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• puṣṭikarmaṇi: in a rite for prosperity
• puṣṭikarmaṇi: Adhikarana (Occasion/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (पुष्टेः कर्म)

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Sequencing/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय (then/and further)

• adhvaryum: an Adhvaryu (Yajurvedin priest)
• adhvaryum: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: adhvaryu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन

• śāntikarmaṇi: in a pacificatory rite
• śāntikarmaṇi: Adhikarana (Occasion/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śānti (प्रातिपदिक) + karman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शान्तेः कर्म)

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Sequencing/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अनन्तरार्थक-अव्यय

• arvaṇam: an Atharvan (Atharvavedin)
• arvaṇam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: arvan/atharvan (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd case), एकवचन; पाठभेदे ‘अथर्वणम्’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa māhātmya narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual dining setting: four learned brāhmaṇas identifiable by Vedic emblems/manuscripts—Sāma (Chāndoga), Ṛg (Bahvṛc), Yajur (Adhvaryu), Atharva (Atharvan)—seated on kuśa mats as the yajamāna offers food in a śrāddha pavilion near a sacred site.

Characters & Entities

• Chāndoga
• Bahvṛc
• Adhvaryu
• Atharvan

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual hospitality is not generic; offerings are refined by matching the rite with the appropriate Vedic expertise.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, presented as a place where Vedic-aligned śrāddha and domestic rites are to be performed correctly.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Feed specific Vedic specialists according to the rite: Chāndoga for śrāddha, Bahvṛc for vaiśvadeva, Adhvaryu for puṣṭi, and Atharvan for śānti.