Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

अन्नप्रकिरणं यत्तु मनुष्यैः क्रियते भुवि । तेन तृप्तिमुपायांति ये पिशाचत्वमागताः

Transliteration

annaprakiraṇaṃ yattu manuṣyaiḥ kriyate bhuvi | tena tṛptimupāyāṃti ye piśācatvamāgatāḥ

Translation

La nourriture que les hommes répandent sur le sol : par cet acte, ceux qui sont tombés dans l’état de piśāca obtiennent apaisement et satisfaction.

Word by Word

• अन्नप्रकिरणम्: scattering of food
• अन्नप्रकिरणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न-प्रकिरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; कर्मपदम्

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचकं सर्वनाम

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक-अव्यय (particle: but/indeed)

• मनुष्यैः: by humans
• मनुष्यैः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/कर्तृ), बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे कर्ता

• क्रियते: is done
• क्रियते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• भुवि: on the earth
• भुवि: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• तेन: by that
• तेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• तृप्तिम्: satisfaction
• तृप्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तृप्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• उपायान्ति: attain/come to
• उपायान्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उप-√या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचकं सर्वनाम

• पिशाचत्वम्: the state of being a piśāca
• पिशाचत्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिशाचत्व (प्रातिपदिक; -त्व तद्धित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• आगताः: having become/attained
• आगताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आगत (प्रातिपदिक; √गम् (धातु) क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past participle)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya ṛṣis (typical)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At twilight near a tīrtha courtyard, a person scatters rice on the ground; from the shadows, translucent piśāca forms (allegorical, mist-like) draw nourishment from the scattered grains, while a priest gestures to redirect offerings properly toward the śrāddha altar—showing the unseen economy of rites.

Characters & Entities

• Piśāca
• Śrāddha (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Different ritual gestures nourish different classes of beings; dharma recognizes appropriate channels of offering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, within whose māhātmya these rites and their effects are explained.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Scattering food on the ground (anna-prakiraṇa) is stated to satisfy beings in the piśāca condition.