Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 146
तेनान्नेन तदा ता वै वर्त्तयन्ते सदा प्रजाः । ऋषिभिः श्रूयते चापि पुनर्दुग्धा वसुन्धरा
tenānnena tadā tā vai varttayante sadā prajāḥ | ṛṣibhiḥ śrūyate cāpi punardugdhā vasundharā
وبذلك الطعام عينه كانت الخلائقُ آنذاك—ومن بعدُ على الدوام—تُعاش وتُقوَّم. ويُسمَع أيضًا عن الرِّشيّين (Ṛṣis) أنّ الأرض قد «حُلِبت» مرارًا وتكرارًا لمنفعة مراتب شتّى من الكائنات.
Sūta (contextual attribution within Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya)
Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: A panoramic sequence: beings of different orders (devas, ṛṣis, humans) shown across time, each receiving sustenance from the Earth; sages in the foreground recite and ‘bear witness’ to the tradition of repeated milkings.
FAQs
Life is sustained by divinely ordered provision; gratitude and dharmic use of resources are implied.
Prabhāsakṣetra is the framing sacred geography, where broader Purāṇic teachings are narrated as part of its māhātmya.
No explicit rite is stated; the emphasis is on anna as a sacred support, aligning with dharmic ideals like feeding and charity.