Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

शाकानि सृजता तेन ब्रह्मणा परमेष्ठिनौ । कालशाकं पुरः सृष्टं तेन तत्तृप्तिदायकम्

Transliteration

śākāni sṛjatā tena brahmaṇā parameṣṭhinau | kālaśākaṃ puraḥ sṛṣṭaṃ tena tattṛptidāyakam

Translation

Lorsque Brahmā, le Seigneur suprême (Parameṣṭhin), créa les légumes, il créa d’abord le kālaśāka. C’est pourquoi on le tient pour un donateur de satisfaction (dans le śrāddha).

Word by Word

• śākāni: vegetables, greens
• śākāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Pl.)

• sṛjatā: by (him) creating
• sṛjatā: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sṛj (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ), तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोग (Present active participle, Instr. sg.)

• tena: by him/thereby
• tena: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Pronoun, Instr. sg.)

• brahmaṇā: by Brahmā
• brahmaṇā: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masc., Instr. sg.)

• parameṣṭhinā: by the Supreme Lord (Parameṣṭhin, i.e., Brahmā)
• parameṣṭhinā: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parameṣṭhin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masc., Instr. sg.); ब्रह्मणः विशेषण/उपाधि (epithet)

• kālaśākam: the ‘kāla-śāka’ (a kind of green)
• kālaśākam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + śāka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., sg.); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (kālasya śākam)

• puraḥ: first, beforehand
• puraḥ: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: puras (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverb)

• sṛṣṭam: created
• sṛṣṭam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sṛj (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Past passive participle, Neut. Nom./Acc. sg.)

• tena: by him
• tena: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Pronoun, Instr. sg.)

• tat: that
• tat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neut. Nom./Acc. sg.); विशेषण (demonstrative)

• tṛptidāyakam: giving satisfaction
• tṛptidāyakam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tṛpti (प्रातिपदिक) + dāyaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neut. Nom./Acc. sg.); उपपद-तत्पुरुष (tṛptiṃ dāyakam)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; exact speaker not explicit in snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā creates vegetables in sequence; the first to appear is a dark-green leafy kālaśāka sprouting from primordial earth. In the foreground, it is cooked simply and offered in śrāddha, with Pitṛs shown content.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Parameṣṭhin
• Kālaśāka
• Śrāddha
• Pitṛs (implied context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma links ritual suitability to cosmic order: items considered ‘first-created’ or primordial gain special ritual value.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is named in this verse; it provides śrāddha-related dharma within a tīrtha-glorifying section.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kālaśāka is recommended/valued as a satisfaction-giving item in the śrāddha setting.