Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

स्तुतिदण्डनमस्कारैः प्रदक्षिणैरहर्निशम् । ब्राह्मणान्भोजयेत्तत्र भक्ष्यभोज्यैः पृथग्विधैः । एकेन भोजितेनैव कोटिर्भवति भोजिता

Transliteration

stutidaṇḍanamaskāraiḥ pradakṣiṇairaharniśam | brāhmaṇānbhojayettatra bhakṣyabhojyaiḥ pṛthagvidhaiḥ | ekena bhojitenaiva koṭirbhavati bhojitā

Translation

With hymns of praise, prostrations, salutations, and circumambulations—day and night—one should feed brāhmaṇas there with various kinds of foods and dishes. By feeding even one, it is as though a crore have been fed.

Word by Word

• स्तुतिदण्डनमस्कारैः: with hymns, prostrations, and salutations
• स्तुतिदण्डनमस्कारैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्तुति + दण्ड + नमस्कार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; समासः—इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (स्तुतयश्च दण्डाश्च नमस्काराश्च)

• प्रदक्षिणैः: with circumambulations
• प्रदक्षिणैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रदक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन

• अहर्निशम्: day and night
• अहर्निशम्: Kriya-visheshana (Temporal adverb/कालवाचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहन् + निशा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (time adverb)

• ब्राह्मणान्: Brahmins
• ब्राह्मणान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्राह्मण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), बहुवचन

• भोजयेत्: should feed
• भोजयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भुज् (धातु) णिच् (causative)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; णिजन्त (causative)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक

• भक्ष्यभोज्यैः: with eatables and foods
• भक्ष्यभोज्यैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ष्य + भोज्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; समासः—इतरेतर-द्वन्द्वः (भक्ष्याणि च भोज्यानि च)

• पृथग्विधैः: of various kinds
• पृथग्विधैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पृथक् + विध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (पृथग्विधाः = नानाविधाः); विशेषणम् (भक्ष्यभोज्यैः)

• एकेन: by one (act/person)
• एकेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• भोजितेन: by one feeding (act)
• भोजितेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भुज् (धातु) णिच् + क्त (कृत्)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle used substantively); पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; णिजन्त-धातोः (भोजयति → भोजित)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha/Particle (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण-निपात

• कोटिः: a crore
• कोटिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोटि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• भवति: becomes
• भवति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• भोजिता: (is) fed; feeding-result counted as fed (i.e., equals feeding a crore)
• भोजिता: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa/Predicate (Predicative complement/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भुज् (धातु) णिच् + तृच् (कृत्)
• Form: तृच्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (agent noun); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विधेय-नाम (predicate nominative)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jaradgaveśvara-tīrtha (within Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim in Prabhāsa offers hymns and repeated prostrations before a Śiva-liṅga, then serves an honored brāhmaṇa with many dishes; the tīrtha landscape suggests sea-breeze, temple flags, and a sanctified dining pavilion (anna-śālā).

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas
• Pradakṣiṇā
• Namaskāra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha-sevā includes both worship and compassionate giving; feeding the worthy is exalted as a highly multiplied act of dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Jaradgaveśvara tīrtha precinct within Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Continuous devotion through stuti, prostration, and pradakṣiṇā, along with brāhmaṇa-bhojana using varied foods.