Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

अनावृष्टिहते देशे सस्ये च प्रलयं गते । एकं यो भोजयेद्विप्रं कोटिर्भवति भोजिता

Transliteration

anāvṛṣṭihate deśe sasye ca pralayaṃ gate | ekaṃ yo bhojayedvipraṃ koṭirbhavati bhojitā

Translation

In einem von Dürre heimgesuchten Land, wenn die Ernte zugrunde gegangen ist, wird dem, der auch nur einen einzigen Brāhmaṇa speist, das Verdienst zuteil wie dem Speisen eines Koṭi (zehn Millionen).

Word by Word

• अनावृष्टिहते: struck by drought
• अनावृष्टिहते: Adhikarana (Location qualifier/अधिकरण-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनावृष्टिहत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; अन् + आवृष्टि + √हन् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (अनावृष्ट्या हतः); विशेषणम् (देशे)

• देशे: in the region
• देशे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• सस्ये: in the crops
• सस्ये: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सस्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• प्रलयम्: destruction
• प्रलयम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रलय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• गते: when (it) has gone (to ruin)
• गते: Adhikarana (Temporal/locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √गम् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुं/नपुंसक, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (सस्ये) / सति-सप्तमी भावः

• एकम्: one
• एकम्: Karman (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (विप्रम्)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• भोजयेत्: should feed
• भोजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; णिच् (causative) भावः—भोजयति (to cause to eat/feed)

• विप्रम्: a brahmin
• विप्रम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• कोटिः: a crore (ten million)
• कोटिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भवति: becomes
• भवति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• भोजिता: the feeder (one who feeds)
• भोजिता: Karta (Subject complement/कर्ता-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोजितृ (प्रातिपदिक; √भुज् + तृच्/तृ)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्तृवाचक-नाम (agent noun)

Speaker

Ṛṣis (sages) (as quoted within Śiva’s narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A parched landscape with cracked earth and withered fields; a humble donor offers a single meal to a brāhmaṇa/ascetic under a sparse tree, while the sea-breeze of Prabhāsa and distant Somnātha silhouette suggest the sacred coast.

Characters & Entities

• Vipra (brāhmaṇa)
• Anāvṛṣṭi (drought)
• Anna-dāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity performed under hardship carries multiplied merit; giving when resources are scarce is especially dharmic.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching appears within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya narrative that culminates in the Akṣamāleśvara/Ugraseneśvara shrine account.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Feeding (bhojana/anna-dāna), specifically feeding a vipra, with stated multiplied spiritual merit during drought.