Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 78

Devanagari script

प्रार्थयन्दीर्घमायुश्च वायसेभ्यः प्रदापयेत् । कुमारलोकमन्विच्छन्कुक्कुटेभ्यः प्रदापयेत्

Transliteration

prārthayandīrghamāyuśca vāyasebhyaḥ pradāpayet | kumāralokamanvicchankukkuṭebhyaḥ pradāpayet

Translation

Sesiapa yang berdoa memohon umur panjang hendaklah mempersembahkan sedekah kepada burung gagak. Sesiapa yang mendambakan pencapaian ke “Alam Kumāra” hendaklah mempersembahkan sedekah kepada ayam jantan.

Word by Word

• prārthayan: requesting, praying for
• prārthayan: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√arth (अर्थ् धातु) ; शतृ-प्रत्यय (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकालिक कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तरि (pres. act. participle, masc. nom. sg.)

• dīrgham: long
• dīrgham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dīrgha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (neut. acc. sg.)

• āyuḥ: life-span
• āyuḥ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āyus (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neut. acc. sg.; form = āyuḥ)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय-बोधक conjunction)

• vāyasebhyaḥ: to the crows
• vāyasebhyaḥ: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāyasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (dat. pl.)

• pradāpayet: should cause to be given / should offer
• pradāpayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√dā (दा धातु) + णिच् (causative)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन (3rd sg. opt.)

• kumāralokam: the world of the Kumāras
• kumāralokam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kumāra (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी/सम्बन्ध: ‘कुमाराणां लोकः’); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (acc. sg.)

• anvicchan: seeking, desiring
• anvicchan: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: anu√iṣ (इष् धातु) ; शतृ-प्रत्यय (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमानकालिक कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तरि (pres. act. participle, masc. nom. sg.)

• kukkuṭebhyaḥ: to the roosters
• kukkuṭebhyaḥ: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kukkuṭa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (dat. pl.)

• pradāpayet: should cause to be given / should offer
• pradāpayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√dā (दा धातु) + णिच् (causative)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन (3rd sg. opt.)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim places small food offerings on clean ground for crows; nearby, a rooster stands as a symbolic recipient; in the background, a sacred coastal kṣetra atmosphere suggests Prabhāsa.

Characters & Entities

• Crows (Vāyasa)
• Roosters (Kukkuṭa)
• Kumāra-loka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Ritual ecology matters in śrāddha: offerings are mapped to intended fruits, linking compassion, order, and aspiration.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra, in whose Māhātmya such śrāddha-related bali offerings are described with specific results.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offer to crows for longevity; offer to roosters for attaining Kumāra-loka.