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

On the new-moon day (amāvāsyā), if a man partakes of food given by another, then the merit he has accumulated over an entire month accrues to the giver of that food.

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.