Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

विनाप्यक्षतदर्भैर्वा विना भावनया तथा । वारिमात्रेण गोमत्यां गयाश्राद्धफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

vināpyakṣatadarbhairvā vinā bhāvanayā tathā | vārimātreṇa gomatyāṃ gayāśrāddhaphalaṃ labhet

Translation

حتى من غير حبوب الأَكْشَتَة (الأرزّ المكرّس) ولا عشب الدَّرْبَها، وكذلك من غير تصوّرات ذهنية متكلّفة—بالماء وحده في غوماتي ينال المرء ثمرة شرادها (Śrāddha) المؤدّاة في غايا.

Word by Word

• vinā: without
• vinā: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vinā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात/उपसर्गसदृशः (preposition-like particle) = ‘without’

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle) = ‘even/also’

• akṣata-darbhaiḥ: with unbroken rice and darbha grass
• akṣata-darbhaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: akṣata (प्रातिपदिक) + darbha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः; तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instrumental/करण), बहुवचनम्; द्वन्द्वसमासः (copulative)

• vā: or
• vā: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक-निपात (disjunctive particle) = ‘or’

• vinā: without
• vinā: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vinā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात = ‘without’

• bhāvanayā: (pious) intention/mental resolve
• bhāvanayā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāvanā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः; तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instrumental/करण), एकवचनम्

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb) = ‘thus/likewise’

• vāri-mātreṇa: by mere water alone
• vāri-mātreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāri (प्रातिपदिक) + mātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः; तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instrumental/करण), एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (measure of water)

• gomatyām: in/at the Gomati (river)
• gomatyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gomatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गः; सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative/अधिकरण), एकवचनम्

• gayā-śrāddha-phalam: the fruit of the Gayā-śrāddha
• gayā-śrāddha-phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gayā (प्रातिपदिक) + śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः; द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/कर्म), एकवचनम्; तत्पुरुषसमासः (determinative)

• labhet: would obtain
• labhet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √labh (लभ् धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधि), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gomatī (Dvārakā)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim with empty hands except for cupped water performs a simple offering at the river; in the background, a symbolic silhouette of Gayā’s sacred landscape appears as an equivalence motif.

Characters & Entities

• Gomatī (river)
• Gayā (tīrtha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The sanctity of a great tīrtha can make simple offerings effective; purity of place and intention can outweigh ritual complexity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gomatī at Dvārakā, declared to confer Gayā-śrāddha-like merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A minimal śrāddha-style offering: even mere water (udaka) at Gomatī is said to yield great fruit.