Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

भोजनं सततं देयं यथाशक्त्या घृत प्लुतम् । तन्मया हि यतः प्राणा अतः पुष्यंति प्राणिनः

Transliteration

bhojanaṃ satataṃ deyaṃ yathāśaktyā ghṛta plutam | tanmayā hi yataḥ prāṇā ataḥ puṣyaṃti prāṇinaḥ

Translation

Que l’on donne sans cesse de la nourriture, selon ses moyens, enrichie de ghee sacré ; car c’est par elle que les vies se maintiennent, et ainsi les êtres prospèrent grâce à l’aliment.

Word by Word

• भोजनम्: food
• भोजनम्: Karma (Object to be given/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (1st/2nd), एकवचनम्; अत्र विधेय-वाक्ये प्रथमा (predicate-nominative sense)

• सततम्: always, continually
• सततम्: Kriya-viseshana (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सतत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण)

• देयम्: should be given
• देयम्: Vidhi (Obligation predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दा (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (तव्यत्/यत्-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचनम्; विधिलिङ्गार्थकं—‘to be given/should be given’

• यथाशक्त्या: according to one’s ability
• यथाशक्त्या: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समासः; समस्तपदम् अव्ययवत्; अर्थः—‘शक्त्यानुसारम्’; (तृतीया-एकवचन-आधारः ‘शक्त्या’ अन्तर्भूतः)

• घृतप्लुतम्: soaked with ghee
• घृतप्लुतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घृत (प्रातिपदिक) + प्लुत (कृदन्त; √प्लु धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया/प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः—‘घृतेन प्लुतम्’ (soaked/filled with ghee)

• तन्मयाः: consisting of that (food)
• तन्मयाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), बहुवचनम्; तत्पुरुषः—‘तद्-मय’ (consisting of that)

• हि: indeed, for
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic/causal particle)

• यतः: because, since
• यतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्बन्ध-प्रदर्शक; ‘because/from which’)

• प्राणाः: vital breaths, lives
• प्राणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), बहुवचनम्

• अतः: therefore
• अतः: Nidana (Result marker/फल-निर्देशक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (तस्मात्-अर्थे; inferential particle)

• पुष्यन्ति: thrive, are nourished
• पुष्यन्ति: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पुष् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथम-पुरुषः, बहुवचनम्

• प्राणिनः: living beings
• प्राणिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राणिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/Nominative), बहुवचनम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Māhātmya instruction tone)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king / general audience within the māhātmya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A continuous annadāna scene: large pots of food, servers ladling ghee over rice, lines of pilgrims and the poor receiving meals; the atmosphere is nourishing and orderly, suggesting ‘prāṇa’ being sustained.

Characters & Entities

• Vastrāpatha Kṣetra
• Prabhāsa Kṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Food-giving is life-giving; consistent charity, suited to one’s capacity, is upheld as sustaining dharma itself.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vastrāpatha Kṣetra in the Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa setting, where anna-dāna is praised as especially fruitful.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Regular offering of meals, ideally with ghee, as part of ongoing dāna and hospitality.