Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

परपाकं च येऽश्नंति पर दाररताश्च ये । अप्रत्याख्यं वृथा दानं सदोषं च तथा प्रिये

Transliteration

parapākaṃ ca ye'śnaṃti para dāraratāśca ye | apratyākhyaṃ vṛthā dānaṃ sadoṣaṃ ca tathā priye

Translation

ومن يأكل طعامًا مطبوخًا لغيره، ومن يتعلّق بزوجة غيره—فذلك سلوكٌ مذموم. ويا حبيبة، إن العطاء الذي لا يُقدَّم على وجهه اللائق عطاءٌ باطل؛ وكذلك العطاء المشوب بالعيوب باطل.

Word by Word

• परपाकम्: food cooked by others
• परपाकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक) + पाक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Conjunction)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• अश्नन्ति: eat
• अश्नन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• पर: another's
• पर: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः; अत्र 'परदार' इत्यस्य पूर्वपद (indeclinable-like in compound)

• दाररताः: addicted to wives (i.e., women)
• दाररताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दार (प्रातिपदिक) + रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Conjunction)

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• अप्रत्याख्यम्: not to be refused/irreproachable
• अप्रत्याख्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ (निषेध) + प्रत्याख्य (कृदन्त; आ-ख्या धातु, क्तव्य/ण्यत्-भाव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); अर्थे 'अनपवाद्य/अनिराकरणीय'

• वृथा: in vain
• वृथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वृथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Adverb)

• दानम्: gift, donation
• दानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• सदोषम्: faulty, with defects
• सदोषम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + दोष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Conjunction)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (Adverb)

• प्रिये: O beloved (dear one)
• प्रिये: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic scene at a sacred assembly in Prabhāsa: a teacher enumerates ‘fruitless gifts’; in the background, pilgrims approach a coastal shrine and a tīrtha-ghāṭa, while symbolic vignettes show improper giving dissolving like sand in water.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara
• Devī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma is not only about giving, but giving rightly—faulty, careless, or improper charity loses its spiritual fruit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The discourse belongs to Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya in the Skanda Purāṇa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A principle of dāna-vidhi is stated: avoid ‘vṛthā dāna’—gifts given improperly or with doṣa (defects).