Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 36
भक्ष्याणि भक्षितान्येव यानि वै गुणवन्ति च । स कथं सुकषायाणि क्षाराणि कटुकानि च । भक्षयिष्यति राजेन्द्र ततो मे दुःखमाविशत्
bhakṣyāṇi bhakṣitānyeva yāni vai guṇavanti ca | sa kathaṃ sukaṣāyāṇi kṣārāṇi kaṭukāni ca | bhakṣayiṣyati rājendra tato me duḥkhamāviśat
“Người ấy quả đã ăn những món lành mạnh, tốt đẹp. Vậy làm sao người ấy lại ăn được thức ăn chát, mặn kiềm và cay nồng?” Tâu Đại vương, vì thế nỗi sầu khổ tràn vào lòng tôi.
Unclear from snippet; a narrator addressing a king (rājendra) within the Prabhāsa-kṣetra-māhātmya frame
Listener: ‘rājendra’ (O king) explicitly addressed
Scene: A worried devotee speaks to a king: recalling that the father had eaten wholesome foods, he fears the upcoming austere diet—bitter/astringent, alkaline, pungent—required by a vow; the scene shows simple fare laid out, the speaker’s anxious face.
FAQs
Even practical concerns (food, comfort) appear in sacred stories, reminding that dharma is lived through real human care and responsibility.
The verse is contextual; the chapter’s tīrtha focus is Puṣkara-tīrtha in Prabhāsa-kṣetra.
No direct prescription here; it supports the narrative leading into śrāddha rites described shortly after.