Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

मया कदन्नं दत्तं च पर्युषितं ब्राह्मणोत्तमे । ब्राह्मणेभ्यः सदा दानं मिष्टान्नेन तु पोषणम् । तस्मात्पर्युषितोनाम संजातोऽहं धरातले

Transliteration

mayā kadannaṃ dattaṃ ca paryuṣitaṃ brāhmaṇottame | brāhmaṇebhyaḥ sadā dānaṃ miṣṭānnena tu poṣaṇam | tasmātparyuṣitonāma saṃjāto'haṃ dharātale

Translation

Ó melhor dos brāhmaṇas, eu ofereci comida grosseira e também alimento amanhecido, guardado. Embora os brāhmaṇas devam ser sempre sustentados por dádivas de alimento bom e doce; por isso nasci na terra com o nome “Paryuṣita”.

Word by Word

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Kartr̥ (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• kadannam: bad/poor food
• kadannam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kadanna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• dattam: given
• dattam: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dā (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular); कर्म-समन्वय (agrees with kadannam)

• ca: and
• ca: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• paryuṣitam: stale/kept overnight
• paryuṣitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paryuṣita (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (qualifies kadannam)

• brāhmaṇottame: O best of Brahmins
• brāhmaṇottame: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + uttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular); ब्राह्मणः उत्तमः इति कर्मधारय

• brāhmaṇebhyaḥ: to Brahmins
• brāhmaṇebhyaḥ: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brāhmaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति (Dative/4th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• sadā: always
• sadā: Kriya-visheshana (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sadā (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• dānam: giving/alms
• dānam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• miṣṭānnena: with sweet food
• miṣṭānnena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: miṣṭa-anna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular); मिष्टम् अन्नम् इति कर्मधारय-समास (often treated under तत्पुरुष class)

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle), विरोध/अन्वय (but/indeed)

• poṣaṇam: nourishment/sustenance
• poṣaṇam: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: poṣaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• tasmāt: therefore/from that
• tasmāt: Hetu/Nimitta (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात्-इत्यव्ययीभूत (ablatival adverb: ‘therefore/from that’)

• paryuṣitaḥ: Paryuṣita (as a name)
• paryuṣitaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: paryuṣita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); नामरूपेण (as a name)

• nāma: named
• nāma: Discourse/Name-marker (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nāma (अव्यय)
• Form: नाम-निर्देशक-अव्यय (indeclinable meaning ‘named/indeed’)

• saṃjātaḥ: was born/arose
• saṃjātaḥ: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-jan (धातु) + kta (कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle used intransitively: ‘born/come into being’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• dharātale: on the earth’s surface
• dharātale: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharā-tala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular); धरायाः तलम् इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

Speaker

Preta (Paryuṣita)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Gautama (implied addressee: ‘brāhmaṇottame’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A confessional scene: a suffering being admits to a sage that he fed brāhmaṇas stale food; in contrast, an idealized offering of fresh sweet rice is shown as a moral counter-image.

Characters & Entities

• Brāhmaṇas
• Gautama (context)
• Preta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Charity is judged by intention and quality: disrespectful or impure giving diminishes merit and can become a cause of suffering.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra is the overarching sacred context; the verse teaches dharma of anna-dāna rather than naming a specific sub-tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Anna-dāna: brāhmaṇas should be nourished through proper gifts—fresh, wholesome (miṣṭānna) food rather than stale offerings.