Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

शाकानि सृजता तेन ब्रह्मणा परमेष्ठिनौ । कालशाकं पुरः सृष्टं तेन तत्तृप्तिदायकम्

Transliteration

śākāni sṛjatā tena brahmaṇā parameṣṭhinau | kālaśākaṃ puraḥ sṛṣṭaṃ tena tattṛptidāyakam

Translation

เมื่อพระพรหมผู้เป็นปรเมษฐินทรงสร้างผักทั้งหลาย พระองค์ทรงสร้าง “กาลศากะ” ขึ้นก่อน ดังนั้นจึงนับว่าเป็นสิ่งให้ความอิ่มเอิบพอใจ (ในบริบทศราทธะ)

Word by Word

• śākāni: vegetables, greens
• śākāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śāka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., Pl.)

• sṛjatā: by (him) creating
• sṛjatā: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sṛj (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ), तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; कर्तरि प्रयोग (Present active participle, Instr. sg.)

• tena: by him/thereby
• tena: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Pronoun, Instr. sg.)

• brahmaṇā: by Brahmā
• brahmaṇā: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masc., Instr. sg.)

• parameṣṭhinā: by the Supreme Lord (Parameṣṭhin, i.e., Brahmā)
• parameṣṭhinā: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parameṣṭhin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masc., Instr. sg.); ब्रह्मणः विशेषण/उपाधि (epithet)

• kālaśākam: the ‘kāla-śāka’ (a kind of green)
• kālaśākam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + śāka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom./Acc., sg.); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (kālasya śākam)

• puraḥ: first, beforehand
• puraḥ: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: puras (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (indeclinable adverb)

• sṛṣṭam: created
• sṛṣṭam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sṛj (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Past passive participle, Neut. Nom./Acc. sg.)

• tena: by him
• tena: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसक, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Pronoun, Instr. sg.)

• tat: that
• tat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neut. Nom./Acc. sg.); विशेषण (demonstrative)

• tṛptidāyakam: giving satisfaction
• tṛptidāyakam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tṛpti (प्रातिपदिक) + dāyaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neut. Nom./Acc. sg.); उपपद-तत्पुरुष (tṛptiṃ dāyakam)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; exact speaker not explicit in snippet)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā creates vegetables in sequence; the first to appear is a dark-green leafy kālaśāka sprouting from primordial earth. In the foreground, it is cooked simply and offered in śrāddha, with Pitṛs shown content.

Characters & Entities

• Brahmā
• Parameṣṭhin
• Kālaśāka
• Śrāddha
• Pitṛs (implied context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma links ritual suitability to cosmic order: items considered ‘first-created’ or primordial gain special ritual value.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is named in this verse; it provides śrāddha-related dharma within a tīrtha-glorifying section.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Kālaśāka is recommended/valued as a satisfaction-giving item in the śrāddha setting.