Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

मया कदन्नं दत्तं च पर्युषितं ब्राह्मणोत्तमे । ब्राह्मणेभ्यः सदा दानं मिष्टान्नेन तु पोषणम् । तस्मात्पर्युषितोनाम संजातोऽहं धरातले

Transliteration

mayā kadannaṃ dattaṃ ca paryuṣitaṃ brāhmaṇottame | brāhmaṇebhyaḥ sadā dānaṃ miṣṭānnena tu poṣaṇam | tasmātparyuṣitonāma saṃjāto'haṃ dharātale

Translation

Ô le meilleur des brāhmaṇa, j’ai donné une nourriture grossière et même des mets rassis, gardés de la veille. Alors que les brāhmaṇa doivent être toujours soutenus par le don d’aliments bons et doux; c’est pourquoi je naquis sur terre sous le nom de « Paryuṣita ».

Word by Word

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Kartr̥ (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• kadannam: bad/poor food
• kadannam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kadanna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• dattam: given
• dattam: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular); कर्म-समन्वय (agrees with kadannam)

• ca: and
• ca: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• paryuṣitam: stale/kept overnight
• paryuṣitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paryuṣita (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifies kadannam)

• brāhmaṇottame: O best of Brahmins
• brāhmaṇottame: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular); ब्राह्मणः उत्तमः इति कर्मधारय

• brāhmaṇebhyaḥ: to Brahmins
• brāhmaṇebhyaḥ: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kriya-visheshana (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• dānam: giving/alms
• dānam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• miṣṭānnena: with sweet food
• miṣṭānnena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: miṣṭa-anna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular); मिष्टम् अन्नम् इति कर्मधारय-समास (often treated under तत्पुरुष class)

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle), विरोध/अन्वय (but/indeed)

• poṣaṇam: nourishment/sustenance
• poṣaṇam: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: poṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• tasmāt: therefore/from that
• tasmāt: Hetu/Nimitta (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात्-इत्यव्ययीभूत (ablatival adverb: ‘therefore/from that’)

• paryuṣitaḥ: Paryuṣita (as a name)
• paryuṣitaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paryuṣita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); नामरूपेण (as a name)

• nāma: named
• nāma: Discourse/Name-marker (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय)
• Form: नाम-निर्देशक-अव्यय (indeclinable meaning ‘named/indeed’)

• saṃjātaḥ: was born/arose
• saṃjātaḥ: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-jan (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle used intransitively: ‘born/come into being’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• dharātale: on the earth’s surface
• dharātale: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharā-tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); धरायाः तलम् इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

Speaker

Preta (Paryuṣita)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Gautama (implied addressee: ‘brāhmaṇottame’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A confessional scene: a suffering being admits to a sage that he fed brāhmaṇas stale food; in contrast, an idealized offering of fresh sweet rice is shown as a moral counter-image.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas
• Gautama (context)
• Preta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity is judged by intention and quality: disrespectful or impure giving diminishes merit and can become a cause of suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra is the overarching sacred context; the verse teaches dharma of anna-dāna rather than naming a specific sub-tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Anna-dāna: brāhmaṇas should be nourished through proper gifts—fresh, wholesome (miṣṭānna) food rather than stale offerings.