Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

ब्राह्मणान्नं ददेच्छूद्रः शूद्रान्नं ब्राह्मणो ददेत् । उभावेतावभोज्यान्नौ भुक्त्वा चान्द्रायणं चरेत्

Transliteration

brāhmaṇānnaṃ dadecchūdraḥ śūdrānnaṃ brāhmaṇo dadet | ubhāvetāvabhojyānnau bhuktvā cāndrāyaṇaṃ caret

Translation

শূদ্র ব্রাহ্মণের জন্য অন্ন দিতে পারে এবং ব্রাহ্মণ শূদ্রের জন্য অন্ন দিতে পারে; কিন্তু উভয় অন্নই অভোজ্য। তা ভক্ষণ করলে চান্দ্রায়ণ প্রায়শ্চিত্ত পালন করতে হয়।

Word by Word

• ब्राह्मणान्नम्: Brahmin's food
• ब्राह्मणान्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण + अन्न (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति (Accusative/द्वितीया), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः — 'ब्राह्मणस्य अन्नम्'

• ददेत्: should give
• ददेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), प्रथमपुरुष? (न) — तृतीयपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• शूद्रः: a Shudra
• शूद्रः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूद्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (Nominative/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• शूद्रान्नम्: Shudra's food
• शूद्रान्नम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शूद्र + अन्न (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः — 'शूद्रस्य अन्नम्'

• ब्राह्मणः: a Brahmin
• ब्राह्मणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ददेत्: should give
• ददेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), तृतीयपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• उभौ: both
• उभौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उभ (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, द्विवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• एतौ: these two
• एतौ: Apposition (सम्बोधन/विशेष्य-विशेषणभाव)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, द्विवचन; सर्वनाम

• अभोज्य-अन्नौ: (are) inedible foods
• अभोज्य-अन्नौ: Vidhaya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-भोज्य (कृदन्त) + अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति, द्विवचन; कर्मधारयः — 'अभोज्यं च तत् अन्नं च' → 'food that is not to be eaten' (here as predicate for 'both')

• भुक्त्वा: having eaten
• भुक्त्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √भुज् (धातु) + क्त्वा (अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive) — 'having eaten'

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• आन्द्रायणम्: the Cāndrāyaṇa penance
• आन्द्रायणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चान्द्रायण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रायश्चित्तविशेष (name of expiation)

• चरेत्: should perform
• चरेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), तृतीयपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Śiva (Īśvara)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual breach is acknowledged: two meal portions symbolically labeled for different recipients; a priest prescribes Cāndrāyaṇa; the performer undertakes a moon-phased austerity, shown by a lunar disc sequence above, indicating gradual dietary regulation.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇa
• Śūdra
• Cāndrāyaṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual life is framed as meticulous: when boundaries around śrāddha food are crossed, purification through penance is prescribed.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The broader discourse belongs to Prabhāsa-kṣetra māhātmya, serving as a ritual guide within that sacred setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

If the stated improper foods are eaten, the prescribed expiation is the Cāndrāyaṇa observance.