Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

अन्नप्रकिरणं यत्तु मनुष्यैः क्रियते भुवि । तेन तृप्तिमुपायांति ये पिशाचत्वमागताः

Transliteration

annaprakiraṇaṃ yattu manuṣyaiḥ kriyate bhuvi | tena tṛptimupāyāṃti ye piśācatvamāgatāḥ

Translation

Das Speiseopfer, das Menschen auf die Erde streuen—durch diese Tat erlangen selbst jene, die in den Zustand der Piśācas gefallen sind, Sättigung und Genüge.

Word by Word

• अन्नप्रकिरणम्: scattering of food
• अन्नप्रकिरणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न-प्रकिरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; कर्मपदम्

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचकं सर्वनाम

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-अव्यय (particle: but/indeed)

• मनुष्यैः: by humans
• मनुष्यैः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/कर्तृ), बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे कर्ता

• क्रियते: is done
• क्रियते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• भुवि: on the earth
• भुवि: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• तेन: by that
• तेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• तृप्तिम्: satisfaction
• तृप्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तृप्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• उपायान्ति: attain/come to
• उपायान्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-√या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचकं सर्वनाम

• पिशाचत्वम्: the state of being a piśāca
• पिशाचत्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिशाचत्व (प्रातिपदिक; -त्व तद्धित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• आगताः: having become/attained
• आगताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आगत (प्रातिपदिक; √गम् (धातु) क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past participle)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya ṛṣis (typical)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At twilight near a tīrtha courtyard, a person scatters rice on the ground; from the shadows, translucent piśāca forms (allegorical, mist-like) draw nourishment from the scattered grains, while a priest gestures to redirect offerings properly toward the śrāddha altar—showing the unseen economy of rites.

Characters & Entities

• Piśāca
• Śrāddha (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Different ritual gestures nourish different classes of beings; dharma recognizes appropriate channels of offering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, within whose māhātmya these rites and their effects are explained.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Scattering food on the ground (anna-prakiraṇa) is stated to satisfy beings in the piśāca condition.