Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 86

Devanagari script

दामोदराग्रतः कृत्वा पर्वतानन्नसंभवान् । पूजितान्फलपुष्पैश्च दीपं दद्यात्सवर्त्तिकम्

Transliteration

dāmodarāgrataḥ kṛtvā parvatānannasaṃbhavān | pūjitānphalapuṣpaiśca dīpaṃ dadyātsavarttikam

Translation

أمام دامودارا، بعد أن يُشكِّل «جبالًا» من الطعام ويُكرِّمها بالثمار والزهور، فليُقدِّم سراجًا مع فتيلته كاملةً.

Word by Word

• दामोदराग्रतः: in front of Dāmodara
• दामोदराग्रतः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दामोदर (प्रातिपदिक) + अग्रतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास; अव्यय (locative sense)

• कृत्वा: having made
• कृत्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), ‘having made/done’

• पर्वतान्: mountains (heaps)
• पर्वतान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर्वत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन (masc acc pl)

• अन्नसंभवान्: made of/produced from food
• अन्नसंभवान्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक) + सम्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (masc acc pl; qualifying पर्वतान्)

• पूजितान्: worshipped/honoured
• पूजितान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पूज् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन (masc acc pl)

• फलपुष्पैः: with fruits and flowers
• फलपुष्पैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक) + पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (neuter instr pl); द्वन्द्व (fruits and flowers)

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

• दीपम्: a lamp
• दीपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दीप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (masc acc sg)

• दद्यात्: should give/offer
• दद्यात्: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (3rd sg)

• सवर्त्तिकम्: with a wick
• सवर्त्तिकम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स (उपसर्ग/प्रातिपदिक) + वर्त्तिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (masc acc sg; qualifying दीपम्)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa māhātmya narration context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dāmodara-sthāna (within Vastrāpatha/Prabhāsa)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Before an image of Dāmodara, devotees arrange mound-like heaps of cooked food like miniature mountains, decorate with fruits and flowers, and place a bright oil lamp with a wick at the forefront.

Characters & Entities

• Dāmodara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional worship joined with generous offerings—food and light—becomes a potent means of spiritual upliftment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpathakṣetra in Prabhāsa, where offerings before Dāmodara are taught as especially meritorious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Creating heaps of food as an offering, worshipping with fruits/flowers, and giving a properly prepared lamp (dīpa) with wick.