Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

भक्ष्यभोज्यान्न पानैश्च या पूजा क्रियते नरैः । पितामहं समुद्दिश्य सा भक्तिर्लौकिकी मता

Transliteration

bhakṣyabhojyānna pānaiśca yā pūjā kriyate naraiḥ | pitāmahaṃ samuddiśya sā bhaktirlaukikī matā

Translation

مٹھائیوں، پکے ہوئے کھانوں، اناج اور مشروبات کے ساتھ جو پوجا لوگ پِتامہ (برہما) کو مقصد بنا کر کرتے ہیں، وہ ‘لَوکِکی بھکتی’ یعنی دنیوی عقیدت سمجھی جاتی ہے۔

Word by Word

• भक्ष्य: edibles
• भक्ष्य: —
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ष्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — समासाङ्ग

• भोज्य: foods (to be eaten)
• भोज्य: —
• Type: Noun
• Root: भोज्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — समासाङ्ग

• अन्न: edibles, foods, and rice/food
• अन्न: —
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — समासाङ्ग; समासः—भक्ष्य-भोज्य-अन्न (द्वन्द्वः)

• पानैः: with drinks
• पानैः: करण (Instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (neuter, instrumental, plural)

• च: and
• च: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• या: which
• या: कर्म/विशेष्य-निर्देश (relative: ‘which’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (feminine, nominative, singular)

• पूजा: worship
• पूजा: कर्म (Object; with passive verb)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (feminine, nominative, singular)

• क्रियते: is performed
• क्रियते: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (present indicative, 3rd sg, passive)

• नरैः: by men/people
• नरैः: कर्ता (Agent in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन (masculine, instrumental, plural)

• पितामहम्: Pitāmaha (Brahmā)/grandfather
• पितामहम्: कर्म (Object of absolutive sense: ‘aiming at’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितामह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (masculine, accusative, singular)

• समुद्दिश्य: addressing/with reference to
• समुद्दिश्य: प्रयोजन/सम्बन्ध (purpose/reference)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्-उद्-दिश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund): ‘having directed/with reference to’

• सा: that
• सा: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (feminine, nominative, singular)

• भक्तिः: devotion
• भक्तिः: कर्ता/विशेष्य (predicate nominative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (feminine, nominative, singular)

• लौकिकी: worldly/common
• लौकिकी: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लौकिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (feminine, nominative, singular); भक्तिः-विशेषण

• मता: is considered
• मता: —
• Type: Verb
• Root: मन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle) स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘considered’

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims in Prabhāsa arrange naivedya—sweets, cooked rice, grains, and water-drinks—before a four-faced Brahmā icon, while a narrator explains that such offering-based worship is laukikī bhakti.

Characters & Entities

• Pitāmaha (Brahmā)
• Pūjā
• Food offerings (bhakṣya/bhojya/anna/pāna)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Offering food and drink as worship is a valid but ‘worldly’ mode of devotion when framed as a conventional religious act.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The classification of devotion is taught within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra māhātmya narrative setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pūjā using edible offerings—sweets, meals, grains, and drinks—dedicated here to Pitāmaha (Brahmā).