Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

कर्मांगं नवमं प्रोक्तं दैवकं दशमं स्मृतम् । एकादशं क्षयाहं तु पुष्ट्यर्थे द्वादशं स्मृतम्

Transliteration

karmāṃgaṃ navamaṃ proktaṃ daivakaṃ daśamaṃ smṛtam | ekādaśaṃ kṣayāhaṃ tu puṣṭyarthe dvādaśaṃ smṛtam

Translation

Der neunte heißt ‘karmāṅga’ (Hilfsglied der Riten); der zehnte wird als ‘daivaka’ (die Götter betreffend) überliefert. Der elfte ist der ‘kṣayāha’ (zur Abwehr von Verlust und Verfall), während der zwölfte als der zur puṣṭi—Nährung und Gedeihen—vollzogene in Erinnerung bleibt.

Word by Word

• कर्माङ्गम्: the rite-part (a limb of the ritual)
• कर्माङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्म + अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कर्मणः अङ्गम्)

• नवमम्: ninth
• नवमम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नवम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषण

• प्रोक्तम्: is said/declared
• प्रोक्तम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु) → प्रोक्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे विधेय-विशेषण

• दैवकम्: the daivaka (divine-related śrāddha)
• दैवकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दैवक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• दशमम्: tenth
• दशमम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दशम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषण

• स्मृतम्: is remembered/considered
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) → स्मृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे विधेय-विशेषण

• एकादशम्: eleventh
• एकादशम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एकादश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषण

• क्षयाहम्: the day of waning/decay (kṣayāha)
• क्षयाहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षय + अहन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (क्षयस्य अहः)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधार्थक-निपात (emphatic/contrast particle)

• पुष्ट्यर्थे: for nourishment/prosperity
• पुष्ट्यर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/Purpose locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्टि + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; चतुर्थी-तत्पुरुषार्थे प्रयुक्तः (पुष्ट्यर्थः = for nourishment)

• द्वादशम्: twelfth
• द्वादशम्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्वादश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्रमवाचक-विशेषण

• स्मृतम्: is remembered/considered
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) → स्मृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे विधेय-विशेषण

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa Māhātmya instructional tone)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (continued address)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A chart-like enumeration of the 9th–12th categories: karmāṅga, daivaka, kṣayāha, puṣṭyartha. Priests arrange four offering sets—one for rite-support, one for devas, one for averting decay, one for nourishment—near a tīrtha altar.

Characters & Entities

• Śrāddha
• Karmāṅga
• Daivaka
• Kṣayāha
• Puṣṭi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Rituals are purpose-specific: some support other rites, some honor the gods, some counter decline, and some cultivate vitality and well-being.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The classification is taught within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya, where such dharmic acts are framed as especially meaningful in the Prabhāsa sacred sphere.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It assigns functional purposes to later categories of śrāddha (9th–12th), guiding practitioners on intent: karmāṅga, daivaka, kṣayāha, and puṣṭyartha.