Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

अमावास्यां नरो यस्तु परान्नमुपभुञ्जते । तस्य मासकृतं पुण्यमन्नदातुः प्रजायते

Transliteration

amāvāsyāṃ naro yastu parānnamupabhuñjate | tasya māsakṛtaṃ puṇyamannadātuḥ prajāyate

Translation

Am Tag der Amāvāsyā (Neumond), wenn ein Mann Speise annimmt, die ein anderer gibt, fällt das in einem ganzen Monat erworbene Verdienst dem Speisenden zu, der sie spendet.

Word by Word

• amāvāsyām: on the new-moon day
• amāvāsyām: Adhikarana (Time locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: amāvāsyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle: indeed)

• para-annam: another’s food
• para-annam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: para + anna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (paraṃ annaṃ)

• upabhuñjate: eats/enjoys
• upabhuñjate: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa√bhuj (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• tasya: of him
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन

• māsa-kṛtam: done for a month / monthly
• māsa-kṛtam: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: māsa + kṛta (कृदन्त; √kṛ धातु)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया/प्रथमा, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (māsena kṛtam / māsasya kṛtam; ‘done in/for a month’)

• puṇyam: merit
• puṇyam: Karma (Result/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (context: object/result)

• anna-dātuḥ: of the giver of food
• anna-dātuḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anna + dātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (annasya dātā)

• prajāyate: is generated/accrues
• prajāyate: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√jan (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya narration style within Skanda Purāṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer (typical: sages/śaunaka-group)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at Prabhāsa on Amāvāsyā receives a leaf-plate meal from a donor; subtle radiance flows from the eater toward the donor, symbolizing merit transfer; Somnātha shrine and sea-horizon in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Amāvāsyā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

On amāvāsyā, giving food is extraordinarily meritorious; the donor gains the receiver’s month-earned merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The rule is taught within Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya, situating amāvāsyā giving within Prabhāsa’s sacred efficacy.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Annadāna and amāvāsyā observance (often linked with pitṛ rites), emphasizing the donor’s accruing merit.