Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

किं ग्राह्यं किञ्च भोक्तव्यं ब्राह्मणैः श्राद्धकर्मणि । कानि दानानि देयानि नृभिर्यात्रा फलेप्सुभिः

Transliteration

kiṃ grāhyaṃ kiñca bhoktavyaṃ brāhmaṇaiḥ śrāddhakarmaṇi | kāni dānāni deyāni nṛbhiryātrā phalepsubhiḥ

Translation

Im Śrāddha-Ritus: Was dürfen die Brāhmaṇas annehmen, und was sollen sie essen? Und welche Gaben sollen Menschen darbringen, die die Früchte der Pilgerfahrt ersehnen?

Word by Word

• kim: what?
• kim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक; सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc); एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• grāhyam: to be accepted
• grāhyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: grah (धातु) + ya (प्रत्यय) → grāhya (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भाव्य (gerundive/तव्यत्-अर्थ); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• kim: what?
• kim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक; सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

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

• bhoktavyam: to be eaten
• bhoktavyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhuj (धातु) + tavya (प्रत्यय) → bhoktavya (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भाव्य (gerundive/तव्यत्-अर्थ); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• brāhmaṇaiḥ: by Brahmins
• brāhmaṇaiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (Instrumental); बहुवचन

• śrāddhakarmaṇi: in the śrāddha rite
• śrāddhakarmaṇi: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha-karman (प्रातिपदिक; श्राद्ध + कर्मन्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (Locative); एकवचन

• kāni: which (things)?
• kāni: Visheshana (Interrogative qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक; सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc); बहुवचन; प्रश्नवाचक; विशेषणम्

• dānāni: gifts, donations
• dānāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc); बहुवचन

• deyāni: to be given
• deyāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dā (धातु) + ya (प्रत्यय) → deya (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भाव्य (gerundive/यत्-अर्थ: to be given); नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

• nṛbhiḥ: by men
• nṛbhiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (Instrumental); बहुवचन

• yātrā: pilgrimage
• yātrā: Sambandha (Purpose-context/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yātrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (Nominative); एकवचन (समासे पूर्वपद-भावः/उद्देश्य)

• phalepsubhiḥ: by those desiring the fruit (result)
• phalepsubhiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: phala-ipsu (प्रातिपदिक; फल + इप्सु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (Instrumental); बहुवचन; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (śrāddha/dāna context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaṅkara (Īśvara)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual consultation: lists of acceptable offerings, brāhmaṇas seated for śrāddha, pilgrims presenting gifts; emphasis on purity—clean vessels, darbha, sesame, cooked rice balls (piṇḍa) implied by śrāddha setting.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Śiva
• Brāhmaṇa
• Śrāddha
• Dāna
• Yātrā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage merit is safeguarded by dhārmic discipline—proper śrāddha conduct and appropriate charity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ritual inquiry is situated within Prabhāsa-kṣetra’s tīrtha framework, where pilgrimage fruits are sought.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Guidelines are requested regarding śrāddha: what brāhmaṇas may accept/consume, and what forms of dāna pilgrims should offer.