Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

नैवेद्यं परमान्नं च दत्त्वा दीपसम न्वितम् । ततो दद्याद्द्विजातिभ्यो यथाशक्त्या तु दक्षिणाम्

Transliteration

naivedyaṃ paramānnaṃ ca dattvā dīpasama nvitam | tato dadyāddvijātibhyo yathāśaktyā tu dakṣiṇām

Translation

供献供食（naivedya），尤以精美熟食为上，并同献灯明之后，应随己力向二生者（dvija）施与供养金（dakṣiṇā）。

Word by Word

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

• परमान्नं: excellent cooked rice/food
• परमान्नं: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परम + अन्न (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Accusative singular

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चयबोधक) — conjunction

• दत्त्वा: having offered
• दत्त्वा: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive) — ‘having given/offered’

• दीपसमन्वितम्: accompanied by a lamp
• दीपसमन्वितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीप + समन्वित (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — agreeing with (नैवेद्यं/परमान्नं)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रम/अनन्तर) — ‘then’

• दद्यात्: should give
• दद्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — ‘should give’

• द्विजातिभ्यः: to the twice-born (Brahmins etc.)
• द्विजातिभ्यः: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्वि + जाति (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (सम्प्रदान), बहुवचन — Dative plural

• यथाशक्त्या: according to one’s capacity
• यथाशक्त्या: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा + शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक; अव्ययीभाव)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास, स्त्रीलिङ्ग-तृतीया-एकवचनरूपेण अव्ययवत् — ‘according to ability’

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (विरोध/अनुनय/पदार्थान्तरसूचक) — particle

• दक्षिणाम्: fee/gift (dakṣiṇā)
• दक्षिणाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दक्षिणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन — Accusative singular

Speaker

Implied Īśvara (Śiva), addressing Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A lamp burns beside a plate of fine cooked food offered to the deity; afterward, the devotee places dakṣiṇā into the hands of dvijātis seated respectfully in the temple precinct.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Dvijāti (twice-born)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Worship is completed by generosity—offer to the deity and then support dharmic custodians through dakṣiṇā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsa Kṣetra, as part of the worship discipline taught in the Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offer naivedya (paramānna) with a lamp, then give dakṣiṇā to dvijātis according to one’s means.