Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 106

Devanagari script

न चाम्लं न च वै क्षारं स्त्रीणां भोज्यं कदाचन । पंचप्रकारं मधुरं हृद्यं सर्वं सुसंस्कृतम्

Transliteration

na cāmlaṃ na ca vai kṣāraṃ strīṇāṃ bhojyaṃ kadācana | paṃcaprakāraṃ madhuraṃ hṛdyaṃ sarvaṃ susaṃskṛtam

Translation

Ni l’aigre ni les préparations alcalines, salées et caustiques ne doivent jamais être servies aux femmes. Qu’on donne plutôt cinq sortes de douceurs, agréables au cœur, toutes parfaitement apprêtées.

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

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

• amlam: sour (food)
• amlam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: amla (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter, nominative/accusative singular)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

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

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक/खल्वर्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• kṣāram: alkaline/salty (food)
• kṣāram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (neuter, nominative/accusative singular)

• strīṇām: of women
• strīṇām: Sambandha (Possessor/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: strī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी विभक्ति, बहुवचन (feminine, genitive plural)

• bhojyam: fit to be eaten; edible
• bhojyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhuj (धातु) + ya (प्रत्यय) → bhojya (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त (यत्/ण्यत्-प्रत्ययार्थक), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (gerundive; neuter nom/acc sg)

• kadācana: ever; at any time
• kadācana: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kadācana (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• paṃcaprakāram: of five kinds
• paṃcaprakāram: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañca (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + prakāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg)

• madhuram: sweet
• madhuram: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: madhura (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg)

• hṛdyam: pleasing to the heart
• hṛdyam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hṛdya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg)

• sarvam: all
• sarvam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg)

• su-saṃskṛtam: well-prepared; well-cooked
• su-saṃskṛtam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: su (उपसर्ग/अव्यय) + saṃskṛta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √kṛ (धातु) + sam- (उपसर्ग) + kta)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास, क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (past participle; neuter nom/acc sg)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsa-kṣetra Māhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sāvitrī-sthala (Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serving scene: women seated on clean mats receive carefully prepared sweet dishes in five forms; attendants avoid sour pickles and harsh preparations; the shrine remains visible in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Sāvitrī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual giving emphasizes purity and suitability of food; restraint and refinement are treated as dharma-supporting.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, within the Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Avoid sour and kṣāra items; offer well-prepared sweet foods in five varieties.