Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 111

Devanagari script

पुष्पाणि वर्जनीयानि श्राद्धकर्मणि नित्यशः । सौवर्णं राजतं ताम्रं पितॄणां पात्रमुच्यते

Transliteration

puṣpāṇi varjanīyāni śrāddhakarmaṇi nityaśaḥ | sauvarṇaṃ rājataṃ tāmraṃ pitṝṇāṃ pātramucyate

Translation

ในพิธีศราทธะ พึงเว้นดอกไม้อยู่เสมอ สำหรับปิตฤทั้งหลาย ภาชนะทองคำ เงิน และทองแดง ได้ประกาศว่าเป็นภาชนะอันสมควร

Word by Word

• पुष्पाणि: flowers
• पुष्पाणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुष्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• वर्जनीयानि: to be avoided
• वर्जनीयानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर्जनीय (प्रातिपदिक; वर्ज्-धातु से अनीयर्)
• Form: अनीयर्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive: to be avoided); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन (पुष्पाणि इति विशेष्य)

• श्राद्धकर्मणि: in the śrāddha rite
• श्राद्धकर्मणि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध + कर्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष (श्राद्धस्य कर्म); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular

• नित्यशः: always
• नित्यशः: Avyaya (Adverbial/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्यशस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; adverb (always/regularly)

• सौवर्णम्: golden
• सौवर्णम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सौवर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (पात्रम् इति विशेष्य)

• राजतम्: silver
• राजतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: राजत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (पात्रम् इति विशेष्य)

• ताम्रम्: copper
• ताम्रम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ताम्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (पात्रम् इति विशेष्य)

• पितॄणाम्: of the ancestors
• पितॄणाम्: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Genitive plural

• पात्रम्: a vessel
• पात्रम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• उच्यते: is said / is prescribed
• उच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; Ātmanepada; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A śrāddha altar: no flowers present; instead, polished copper/silver/gold vessels are arranged with water, sesame, and food offerings; darbha grass forms a sacred boundary as the performer offers tarpaṇa to pitṛs.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pitṛ-sevā is performed through disciplined observance—choosing prescribed materials is part of honoring the ancestors with reverence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa-kṣetra, where Śrāddha performed with proper dharma is praised as especially meritorious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Avoid flowers in Śrāddha; use gold, silver, or copper vessels as appropriate Pitṛ-pātras.