Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 61

Devanagari script

ताभिर्धिनोत्ययं लोकं प्रजाश्चैव चतुर्विधाः । ओषध्यः फलपाकांताः कणाः सप्तदश स्मृताः

Transliteration

tābhirdhinotyayaṃ lokaṃ prajāścaiva caturvidhāḥ | oṣadhyaḥ phalapākāṃtāḥ kaṇāḥ saptadaśa smṛtāḥ

Translation

Dengan tumbuhan itu dunia ini dipelihara, demikian juga makhluk yang empat jenis. Tumbuhan ladang yang masak hingga berbuah dan musim tuaian diingati sebagai ‘biji-bijian’ sebanyak tujuh belas jenis.

Word by Word

• ताभिः: by those (herbs)
• ताभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• धिनोति: nourishes/sustains
• धिनोति: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: धि/धिनु (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• अयम्: this
• अयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• लोकम्: world
• लोकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• प्रजाः: creatures/subjects
• प्रजाः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चय (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Nipāta (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण (particle: indeed/only)

• चतुर्विधाः: fourfold
• चतुर्विधाः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर् (प्रातिपदिक) + विध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (चतुर्विध), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), बहुवचन (प्रजाः इति विशेष्येण सह)

• ओषध्यः: herbs
• ओषध्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओषधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• फलपाकान्ताः: ending in fruit-ripening
• फलपाकान्ताः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक) + पाक (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: तत्पुरुष (फलपाकः अन्तः यासाम्), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (ओषध्यः इति विशेष्येण सह)

• कणाः: grains/kernels
• कणाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• सप्तदश: seventeen
• सप्तदश: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सप्त (प्रातिपदिक) + दश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: द्वन्द्व (सप्त + दश = 17), संख्या-विशेषण, पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (कणाः इति विशेष्येण सह)

• स्मृताः: are said/are remembered
• स्मृताः: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्मृ (धातु) → स्मृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle) प्रयुक्तं विधेय-क्रियावत् (predicative), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

Speaker

Likely Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa/Sūta) narrating within Prabhāsa Khaṇḍa

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic scene in a sacred coastal kṣetra: sages enumerate grains as embodiments of sustenance; baskets of rice, barley, wheat, millets, sesame and pulses arranged before a yajña-vedi, with Somnath/Prabhāsa aura in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Oṣadhi
• Prajā (fourfold beings)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Food and fertility are sacred supports of dharma; the world’s continuity is tied to divinely-originating nourishment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, by presenting its Māhātmya as a source-text for cosmic nourishment linked to Soma’s grace.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual; the verse sets up a catalog useful for yajña/household dharma discussions around grains.