Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

कारुकान्नं प्रजा हन्ति बलं निर्णेजकस्य च । गणान्नं गणिकान्नं च लोकेभ्यः परिकृन्तति

Transliteration

kārukānnaṃ prajā hanti balaṃ nirṇejakasya ca | gaṇānnaṃ gaṇikānnaṃ ca lokebhyaḥ parikṛntati

Translation

കരുക്കന്റെ അന്നം സന്തതിയെ നശിപ്പിക്കുന്നു; അലക്കുകാരന്റെ അന്നം ബലം ക്ഷയിപ്പിക്കുന്നു. ദേവാലയ സേവകരുടെ അന്നവും ഗണികയുടെ അന്നവും മനുഷ്യനെ ഉന്നത ലോകങ്ങളിൽ നിന്ന് വേർപെടുത്തുന്നു.

Word by Word

• kāruka-annam: artisan’s food
• kāruka-annam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāruka (प्रातिपदिक) + anna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (kārukasya annaṃ)

• prajāḥ: offspring/subjects
• prajāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prajā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• hanti: kills/destroys
• hanti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: han (धातु)
• Form: लट्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• balam: strength
• balam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• nirṇejakasya: of the washerman/cleaner
• nirṇejakasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nirṇejaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

• gaṇa-annam: food of a troupe/association
• gaṇa-annam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + anna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (gaṇasya annaṃ)

• gaṇikā-annam: courtesan’s food
• gaṇikā-annam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṇikā (प्रातिपदिक) + anna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (gaṇikāyāḥ annaṃ)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक

• lokebhyaḥ: from the worlds
• lokebhyaḥ: Apadana (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (Ablative, 5th), बहुवचन

• parikṛntati: cuts off/severs
• parikṛntati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pari-√kṛt (धातु)
• Form: लट्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Narrative voice in Prabhāsakṣetra-māhātmya (contextual Purāṇic instruction; exact speaker not explicit in the snippet)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic tableau: a pilgrim stands at a crossroads of food-offers—washerman, artisan, courtesan, and temple-attendant—while a sage indicates the path toward a pure annadāna hall; above, symbolic 'higher worlds' appear as fading celestial steps when wrong food is taken.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Food is not morally neutral in Purāṇic ethics; accepting certain kinds of food is said to damage vitality, lineage, and heavenly merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra (Prabhāsa), where dharma for pilgrims—especially purity disciplines—is emphasized.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No positive rite is prescribed here; it is a niṣedha (avoidance rule) regarding certain sources of food.