Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

शमीपत्रैर्महादेवि तिलमाषगुडौदनैः । संतर्प्य तु विधानेन दद्यात्कृष्णं वृषं द्विजे

Transliteration

śamīpatrairmahādevi tilamāṣaguḍaudanaiḥ | saṃtarpya tu vidhānena dadyātkṛṣṇaṃ vṛṣaṃ dvije

Translation

O Mahādevī, nachdem man ordnungsgemäß zur Sättigung Śamī-Blätter, Sesam, Māṣa (schwarze Bohnen), Jaggery und gekochten Reis dargebracht hat, soll man nach rechter Vorschrift einem Brāhmaṇa einen schwarzen Stier schenken.

Word by Word

• शमीपत्रैः: with leaves of śamī
• शमीपत्रैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शमीपत्र (प्रातिपदिक) = शमी + पत्र
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/हेतु), बहुवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (शम्याः पत्राणि)

• महादेवि: O great goddess
• महादेवि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेवी (प्रातिपदिक) = महा + देवी
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासः

• तिलमाषगुडौदनैः: with sesame, black-gram, jaggery, and rice-porridge
• तिलमाषगुडौदनैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिलमाषगुडौदन (प्रातिपदिक) = तिल + माष + गुड + ओदन
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (समाहार-द्वन्द्वे प्रायः नपुंसक), तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व/समाहार-द्वन्द्व (तिलाश्च माषाश्च गुडश्च ओदनश्च)

• संतर्प्य: having satisfied (fed/propitiated)
• संतर्प्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: संतृप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), परस्मैपदी; उपसर्गः सम्; अर्थः ‘संतर्पयित्वा/तृप्तिं कृत्वा’

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha/Avadharana (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय; अर्थः ‘but/indeed’

• विधानेन: according to the prescribed rite
• विधानेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘विधि/नियम’

• दद्यात्: should give
• दद्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधि), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; धातुः दा (ददानि)

• कृष्णम्: black
• कृष्णम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृष्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (वृषम् इति)

• वृषम्: a bull
• वृषम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• द्विजे: to a Brahmin
• द्विजे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva) (deduced; vocative ‘mahādevi’ indicates Śiva addressing Devī in dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (Saurīśvara context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Addressed to Devī (‘mahādevi’) within the narrative frame; secondarily to the audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual courtyard: offerings of śamī leaves, sesame, black gram, jaggery, and rice are arranged; a black bull, garlanded, is respectfully gifted to a brāhmaṇa after pūjā, with witnesses chanting.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Brāhmaṇa (Dvija)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual purity joined with generosity—propitiation through offerings and dharmic dāna—restores harmony and mitigates suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The instructions occur within the Prabhāsa Kṣetra Māhātmya, linking such rites with the sanctity of Prabhāsa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offer śamī leaves, sesame, black-gram, jaggery, and rice as tarpaṇa/propitiation, then donate a black bull to a brāhmaṇa following proper injunction.