Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 103

Devanagari script

अष्टादशप्रकारेण षड्रसीकृतभोजनम् । देव्यास्तत्र महादेवि सावित्रीस्थलसन्निधौ

Transliteration

aṣṭādaśaprakāreṇa ṣaḍrasīkṛtabhojanam | devyāstatra mahādevi sāvitrīsthalasannidhau

Translation

Dort, o Große Göttin, in der Nähe der heiligen Stätte Sāvitrīs, soll der Göttin Speise dargebracht werden, in achtzehn Arten bereitet und mit den sechs Geschmäckern vollendet.

Word by Word

• अष्टादश-प्रकारेण: by (in) eighteen ways/types
• अष्टादश-प्रकारेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अष्टादश (संख्याप्रातिपदिक) + प्रकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/करण), एकवचन; साधन/प्रकारवाचक (by eighteen kinds)

• षड्-रसीकृत-भोजनम्: a meal prepared with six tastes
• षड्-रसीकृत-भोजनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षड् (संख्याप्रातिपदिक) + रस (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत (कृ धातु, क्त) + भोजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समस्तपदम् (six-flavoured prepared meal)

• देव्याः: of the Goddess
• देव्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (vocative/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• सावित्री-स्थल-सन्निधौ: in the vicinity of the Savitri site
• सावित्री-स्थल-सन्निधौ: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सावित्री (प्रातिपदिक) + स्थल (प्रातिपदिक) + सन्निधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; स्थानवाचक (in the vicinity of Savitri-place)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sāvitrī-sthala (Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (addressed as ‘mahādevi/devī’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a sanctified shrine-space marked as Sāvitrī-sthala, women and priests arrange an offering of eighteen prepared dishes, each representing the six tastes, before the Devī; lamps, flowers, and vessels of milk and ghee surround the altar.

Characters & Entities

• Mahādevī
• Sāvitrī-sthala

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Offering abundance and completeness (six tastes, many varieties) symbolizes wholehearted devotion in a sacred geography context.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Sāvitrī-sthala in Prabhāsa Kṣetra, emphasized as the sanctified vicinity for offerings.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Prepare and offer a meal with six tastes, arranged in eighteen varieties, in the presence of Sāvitrī-sthala for Devī worship.