Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

न भैक्षं परपाकं तु न च भैक्ष्यं प्रतिग्रहम् । सोमपानसमं भैक्ष्यं तस्माद्भैक्षं समाचरेत्

Transliteration

na bhaikṣaṃ parapākaṃ tu na ca bhaikṣyaṃ pratigraham | somapānasamaṃ bhaikṣyaṃ tasmādbhaikṣaṃ samācaret

Translation

Almosen sollen nicht als „in eines anderen Haus gekochte Speise“ zur Genusssucht genommen werden, noch sollen Almosen als formelle „Annahme von Gaben“ (pratigraha) gelten. Almosenspeise ist dem Trank des Soma gleich; darum übe man das Leben von Almosen.

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• भैक्षम्: alms (as a practice/food)
• भैक्षम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भैक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• पर-पाकम्: food cooked by others
• पर-पाकम्: Predicate/Complement (Vidhaya/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक) + पाक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (परस्य पाकः)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

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

• भैक्ष्यम्: alms-giving/acceptance of alms
• भैक्ष्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भैक्ष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• प्रतिग्रहम्: accepting gifts
• प्रतिग्रहम्: Predicate/Complement (Vidhaya/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रतिग्रह (प्रातिपदिक; √ग्रह् (धातु) उपसर्गः प्रति)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• सोम-पान-समम्: equal to drinking soma
• सोम-पान-समम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सोम (प्रातिपदिक) + पान (प्रातिपदिक; √पा (धातु) ल्युट्) + सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (सोमपानस्य समम्)

• भैक्ष्यम्: alms (practice)
• भैक्ष्यम्: Karta/Topic (Subject/कर्ता as topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भैक्ष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम; प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात्-इत्यव्ययप्रयोगः (ablatival adverb: 'therefore/from that')

• भैक्षम्: alms (as practice)
• भैक्षम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भैक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• समाचरेत्: should practice
• समाचरेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √चर् (धातु) उपसर्गः सम् + आ
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Īśvarī (Pārvatī) or a Devī in the Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya discourse

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A restrained pilgrim-mendicant at Prabhāsa receives a small portion of alms with folded hands, refusing lavish offerings; in the background a coastal tīrtha with a Śiva shrine and Soma symbolism (moon, white libation) suggests the sanctity of simple sustenance.

Characters & Entities

• Soma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Alms-living is sacred when practiced with purity and non-attachment; it is not meant for dependence, indulgence, or transactional gift-taking.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single site is singled out; the verse gives a general dharma-rule within the Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Practice bhaikṣa (living on alms) with the right attitude, distinct from parapāka-indulgence and from pratigraha (obligating acceptance).