Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

एतानि वर्जयेन्नक्ते ह्यन्नानि सुरसुन्दरि । निष्पावा आढकी मुद्गा माषाश्चैव कुलित्थकाः

Transliteration

etāni varjayennakte hyannāni surasundari | niṣpāvā āḍhakī mudgā māṣāścaiva kulitthakāḥ

Translation

హే సురసుందరీ, నక్తవ్రతములో సాయంకాల భోజనంలో ఈ ధాన్యములను వర్జించవలెను—నిష్పావ, ఆఢకీ, ముద్గ (పెసలు), మాష (మినుములు) మరియు కులిత్థ.

Word by Word

• etāni: these
• etāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Plural)

• varjayet: should avoid
• varjayet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vṛj/varj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद (Optative, 3rd person, Singular, Parasmaipada)

• nakte: at night
• nakte: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nakta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Locative, Singular)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphasis)

• annāni: foods, grains
• annāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Plural)

• surasundari: O beautiful one among the gods
• surasundari: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: surasundarī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Vocative, Singular)

• niṣpāvāḥ: niṣpāva beans
• niṣpāvāḥ: Karma (Object-list/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niṣpāva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• āḍhakī: āḍhakī pulse
• āḍhakī: Karma (Object-list/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āḍhakī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• mudgāḥ: green gram (mudga)
• mudgāḥ: Karma (Object-list/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mudga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

• māṣāḥ: black gram (māṣa)
• māṣāḥ: Karma (Object-list/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

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

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• kulitthakāḥ: horse-gram (kulittha)
• kulitthakāḥ: Karma (Object-list/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kulitthaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Plural)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (vrata-niyama context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī (addressed as surasundarī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva instructs Devī on nakta dietary avoidances: specific beans and pulses are set aside; a devotee’s simple evening meal is prepared without these items, indicating vrata discipline.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Nakta
• Prabhāsakṣetra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Vows are supported by self-restraint; food discipline is treated as part of ritual purity and focus.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The rules belong to the Prabhāsakṣetra vow-context described in this Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

During nakta (restricted evening eating), avoid specified legumes/grains such as niṣpāva, āḍhakī, mudga, māṣa, and kulittha.