Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 61

Devanagari script

ताभिर्धिनोत्ययं लोकं प्रजाश्चैव चतुर्विधाः । ओषध्यः फलपाकांताः कणाः सप्तदश स्मृताः

Transliteration

tābhirdhinotyayaṃ lokaṃ prajāścaiva caturvidhāḥ | oṣadhyaḥ phalapākāṃtāḥ kaṇāḥ saptadaśa smṛtāḥ

Translation

Durch sie wird diese Welt erhalten, ebenso die Wesen von vier Arten. Diese angebauten Pflanzen, die bis zur Frucht und Ernte reifen, werden als „Körner“ von siebzehn Arten überliefert.

Word by Word

• ताभिः: by those (herbs)
• ताभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• धिनोति: nourishes/sustains
• धिनोति: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धि/धिनु (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• लोकम्: world
• लोकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्रजाः: creatures/subjects
• प्रजाः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Nipāta (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण (particle: indeed/only)

• चतुर्विधाः: fourfold
• चतुर्विधाः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (प्रातिपदिक) + विध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (चतुर्विध), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन (प्रजाः इति विशेष्येण सह)

• ओषध्यः: herbs
• ओषध्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओषधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• फलपाकान्ताः: ending in fruit-ripening
• फलपाकान्ताः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक) + पाक (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (फलपाकः अन्तः यासाम्), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (ओषध्यः इति विशेष्येण सह)

• कणाः: grains/kernels
• कणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• सप्तदश: seventeen
• सप्तदश: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (प्रातिपदिक) + दश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: द्वन्द्व (सप्त + दश = 17), संख्या-विशेषण, पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (कणाः इति विशेष्येण सह)

• स्मृताः: are said/are remembered
• स्मृताः: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) → स्मृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle) प्रयुक्तं विधेय-क्रियावत् (predicative), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

Speaker

Likely Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/Sūta) narrating within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic scene in a sacred coastal kṣetra: sages enumerate grains as embodiments of sustenance; baskets of rice, barley, wheat, millets, sesame and pulses arranged before a yajña-vedi, with Somnath/Prabhāsa aura in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Oṣadhi
• Prajā (fourfold beings)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Food and fertility are sacred supports of dharma; the world’s continuity is tied to divinely-originating nourishment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, by presenting its Māhātmya as a source-text for cosmic nourishment linked to Soma’s grace.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual; the verse sets up a catalog useful for yajña/household dharma discussions around grains.