Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 52

Devanagari script

दीपं दद्याद्धृतेनैव तैलेनापि घृतं विना । नैवेद्यं विविधं देयं फलं तांबूलमेव च

Transliteration

dīpaṃ dadyāddhṛtenaiva tailenāpi ghṛtaṃ vinā | naivedyaṃ vividhaṃ deyaṃ phalaṃ tāṃbūlameva ca

Translation

Man soll eine Lampe mit Ghee darbringen; fehlt Ghee, so auch mit Öl. Ebenso sind vielfältige Naivedya-Speisen zu geben, dazu Früchte und Tāmbūla (Betel).

Word by Word

• dīpam: a lamp
• dīpam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dīpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• dadyāt: should give/offer
• dadyāt: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (दा धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ghṛtena: with ghee
• ghṛtena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ghṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• eva: only/indeed
• eva: Avyaya (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात

• tailena: with oil
• tailena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: taila (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• api: also/even
• api: Avyaya (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (also/even)

• ghṛtam: ghee
• ghṛtam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ghṛta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• vinā: without
• vinā: Avyaya (Preposition/उपपद)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vinā (अव्यय)
• Form: उपपद-अव्यय (preposition) ‘without’; योगे तृतीया/द्वितीया (here with द्वितीया)

• naivedyam: food offering
• naivedyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: naivedya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• vividham: various
• vividham: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vividha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण

• deyam: should be offered
• deyam: Kriya (Injunctive predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dā (दा धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; यत्-प्रत्यय/gerundive (तव्यत्/यत्) अर्थः ‘to be given/should be offered’

• phalam: fruit
• phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• tāṃbūlam: betel (leaf/quid)
• tāṃbūlam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tāṃbūla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Avyaya (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात

• ca: and
• ca: Avyaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa māhātmya narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: King (nṛpa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A priest places a bright ghee lamp before the deity; nearby, an oil lamp is shown as an alternative. Plates of assorted naivedya, fruits, and betel leaves with areca nut are arranged in orderly rows.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere worship is adaptable—if the ideal offering is unavailable, an appropriate substitute still sustains devotion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpathakṣetra in Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa, where such offerings are framed as part of the site’s sacred observance.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offer a lamp (preferably with ghee; otherwise with oil), and provide naivedya, fruit, and tāmbūla.