Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

नैवेद्यं परमान्नं च दत्त्वा दीपसमन्वितम् । अष्टांगं प्रणिपातं च ततः कार्यं च भक्तितः

Transliteration

naivedyaṃ paramānnaṃ ca dattvā dīpasamanvitam | aṣṭāṃgaṃ praṇipātaṃ ca tataḥ kāryaṃ ca bhaktitaḥ

Translation

Nachdem man Naivedya — besonders erlesene Speise — zusammen mit einer Lampe dargebracht hat, soll man die achtgliedrige Niederwerfung (aṣṭāṅga) vollziehen und danach die übrigen Riten in Hingabe ausführen.

Word by Word

• naivedyam: food offering (naivedya)
• naivedyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naivedya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• paramānnam: excellent cooked rice/food
• paramānnam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक) + anna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction/particle)

• dattvā: having given
• dattvā: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (दा धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘having given’

• dīpasamanvitam: accompanied with a lamp
• dīpasamanvitam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dīpa (प्रातिपदिक) + samanvita (समन्वित, प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; adjective)

• aṣṭāṅgam: eight-limbed
• aṣṭāṅgam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aṣṭa (प्रातिपदिक) + aṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; adjective)

• praṇipātam: prostration
• praṇipātam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: praṇipāta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction/particle)

• tataḥ: then/thereafter
• tataḥ: Kālādhi karaṇa (Temporal/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: then/thereafter)

• kāryam: (it) should be done
• kāryam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kārya (प्रातिपदिक; √kṛ-णिच्य/भाव्य)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भाव्य/कर्तव्य (gerundive: to be done)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction/particle)

• bhaktitaḥ: from/with devotion
• bhaktitaḥ: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; हेतौ/प्रकारे (Feminine, Ablative, Singular; ‘out of/with devotion’)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the assembled sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Somnātha in Prabhāsa

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrim audience; instruction framed with devotional imperative

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A lamp burns bright before the liṅga; a platter of sweet rice (paramānna) is offered; the devotee lies in full prostration, eight limbs touching the ground, in a quiet sanctum.

Characters & Entities

• Naivedya
• Dīpa (lamp)
• Aṣṭāṅga-praṇipāta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worship culminates in humility—offering, illumination, and wholehearted surrender through prostration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra’s Mṛtyuñjayeśa worship tradition.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offering naivedya and a lamp, followed by aṣṭāṅga-praṇipāta (eight-limbed prostration).