Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

पायसेनैव मधुना सक्तुना पिष्टकेन च । चरुणा तंदुलाद्यैर्वा पिंडदानं विधीयते

Transliteration

pāyasenaiva madhunā saktunā piṣṭakena ca | caruṇā taṃdulādyairvā piṃḍadānaṃ vidhīyate

Translation

പായസം, തേൻ, സക്തു, പിഷ്ടകം, ചരു അല്ലെങ്കിൽ തണ്ടുലാദി ധാന്യങ്ങൾ എന്നിവകൊണ്ട് പിണ്ഡദാനം ചെയ്യണമെന്ന് വിധിക്കപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• पायसेन: with rice-pudding
• पायसेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पायस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक (only/indeed)

• मधुना: with honey
• मधुना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मधु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सक्तुना: with roasted flour (saktu)
• सक्तुना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सक्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पिष्टकेन: with a cake/paste (piṣṭaka)
• पिष्टकेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिष्टक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (and)

• चरुणा: with cooked oblation (caru)
• चरुणा: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चरु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तंदुलाद्यैः: with rice and the like
• तंदुलाद्यैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तण्डुल + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘rice etc.’ (ādi = and the like)

• वा: or
• वा: Connector (विकल्प)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (or)

• पिण्डदानम्: piṇḍa-offering
• पिण्डदानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘offering of piṇḍa’

• विधीयते: is prescribed
• विधीयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धा (धातु) + वि- (उपसर्ग) → विधीयते
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद, कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive): ‘is prescribed/is done’

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa (piṇḍa-dāna context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/pilgrims (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ritual tray displays pāyasa, honey, saktu, cakes, caru, and rice; a priest shapes piṇḍas on darbha while the yajamāna offers water and til; the verse reads like a practical manual scene.

Characters & Entities

• Piṇḍa (śrāddha offering)
• Caru (ritual food)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma provides practical, accessible ways to honor ancestors through prescribed offerings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The prescriptions occur within the Goṣpada-tīrtha glorification in Prabhāsa-kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Accepted substances for piṇḍa-dāna: pāyasa, honey, saktu, cakes, caru, rice, etc.