Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 54
Devanagari script
भक्ष्यं नित्यमृतं ज्ञेयममृतं स्यादयाचितम् । मृतं तु वृद्ध्याजीवित्वं प्रमृतं कर्षणं स्मृतम्
Transliteration
bhakṣyaṃ nityamṛtaṃ jñeyamamṛtaṃ syādayācitam | mṛtaṃ tu vṛddhyājīvitvaṃ pramṛtaṃ karṣaṇaṃ smṛtam
Translation
อาหารที่ได้มาเป็นนิตย์โดยทางอันสมควรพึงรู้ว่าเป็น ṛta; สิ่งที่ได้รับโดยไม่ต้องขอเรียกว่า amṛta. การเลี้ยงชีพด้วยดอกเบี้ยเรียกว่า mṛta ส่วน pramṛta นั้นกล่าวไว้ว่าเป็นการเลี้ยงชีพด้วยการไถนาเพาะปลูก
Word by Word
भक्ष्यम्food; edible (thing)
भक्ष्यम्:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootभक्ष्य (प्रातिपदिक; √भक्ष् (धातु) से निष्पन्न)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; संज्ञापद (that which is to be eaten)
नित्यमृतम्‘nitya-mṛta’ (a defined category)
नित्यमृतम्:
Predicate/Viśeṣya-nirdeśa (सम्बन्ध/विशेष्यनिर्देश)
TypeNoun
Rootनित्य (प्रातिपदिक) + मृत (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—‘नित्यं मृतं’ इति (a kind of ‘mṛta’)
ज्ञेयम्to be known; should be understood
ज्ञेयम्:
Predicate adjective (विधेयविशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootज्ञेय (कृदन्त; √ज्ञा (धातु) + यत्)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विधिलिङ्गार्थक-भावः—‘ज्ञातव्यम्/should be known’ (gerundive)
अमृतम्‘amṛta’ (a defined category)
अमृतम्:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootअमृत (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; संज्ञापद (a category)
स्यात्would be; is (defined as)
स्यात्:
Kriyā (Verb/क्रिया)
TypeVerb
Root√अस् (धातु)
Formविधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘would be/is defined as’
अयाचितम्unsolicited; not asked for
अयाचितम्:
Predicate adjective (विधेयविशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootअयाचित (कृदन्त; √याच् (धातु) + क्त, नञ्-पूर्वक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः—‘not begged/unsolicited’
मृतम्‘mṛta’ (a defined category)
मृतम्:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootमृत (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; संज्ञापद (a category)
तुbut; indeed
तु:
Discourse particle (निपात)
TypeIndeclinable
Rootतु (अव्यय)
Formअव्यय; निपात (contrast/emphasis particle)
वृद्ध्याजीवित्वम्living by interest/usury
वृद्ध्याजीवित्वम्:
Predicate nominative (विधेय)
TypeNoun
Rootवृद्धि (प्रातिपदिक) + आजीवित्व (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—‘वृद्ध्या आजीवित्वम्’ (livelihood by interest/usury)
प्रमृतम्‘pramṛta’ (a defined category)
प्रमृतम्:
Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
TypeNoun
Rootप्रमृत (प्रातिपदिक)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; संज्ञापद (a category)
कर्षणम्ploughing; agriculture
कर्षणम्:
Predicate nominative (विधेय)
TypeNoun
Rootकर्षण (प्रातिपदिक; √कृष् (धातु) से)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्रियानाम (ploughing/agriculture)
स्मृतम्is declared; is considered
स्मृतम्:
Predicate adjective (विधेयविशेषण)
TypeAdjective
Rootस्मृत (कृदन्त; √स्मृ (धातु) + क्त)
Formनपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि—‘is said/considered’
Speaker
Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)
FAQs
Even worldly earning is graded by purity; dharma distinguishes cleaner and harsher means of sustenance.
The teaching occurs within Prabhāsa-kṣetra’s māhātmya framework, reinforcing that sacred places demand disciplined living.
No specific ritual; it provides dharmic definitions used to judge livelihood choices.