Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

चिताभस्मोपहारं च प्रथमं परिकल्पयेत् । आत्मोपभोग्येनान्नेन नैवद्यं कल्पयेद्बुधः

Transliteration

citābhasmopahāraṃ ca prathamaṃ parikalpayet | ātmopabhogyenānnena naivadyaṃ kalpayedbudhaḥ

Translation

سب سے پہلے چِتا کی بھسم کا نذرانہ ترتیب دے۔ پھر دانا بھکت اپنے ہی قابلِ تناول کھانے میں سے نَیویدیہ (نذرِ طعام) تیار کرے۔

Word by Word

• चित-अभस्म-उपहारम्: offering of funeral-pyre ash
• चित-अभस्म-उपहारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चिता (प्रातिपदिक) + भस्म (प्रातिपदिक) + उपहार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular; तत्पुरुषः (षष्ठी-सम्बन्धः) ‘चितायाः भस्मनः उपहारः’

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• प्रथमम्: first
• प्रथमम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रथम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रमवाचक-अव्यय (adverb) ‘firstly’ (नपुंसक-एकवचन-आकारेण अव्ययीभूतम्)

• परिकल्पयेत्: should prepare
• परिकल्पयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि-कल्प् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; should arrange/prepare

• आत्म-उपभोग्येन: fit for one’s own consumption
• आत्म-उपभोग्येन: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक) + उपभोग्य (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-योग्य)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अन्नेन इति विशेषणम्; Instrumental singular; तत्पुरुषः ‘आत्मनः उपभोग्यं’

• अन्नेन: with food
• अन्नेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Instrumental singular

• नैवेद्यम्: food-offering (naivedya)
• नैवेद्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नैवेद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• कल्पयेत्: should prepare
• कल्पयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कल्प् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; should prepare

• बुधः: the wise person
• बुधः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

Speaker

Unspecified in snippet (instructional narration within Brahmottarakhaṇḍa)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee presents sacred ash before the Śiva-liṅga; nearby, a clean platter of naivedya prepared as if for one’s own meal, emphasizing purity and sincerity.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (implicitly)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva is pleased by the emblem of renunciation (bhasma) and by honest purity—offering what one would oneself accept.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No specific site is mentioned; the verse gives a general rule for Śiva worship.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offer citā-bhasma first, then offer naivedya prepared from clean, personally edible food.