Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

एकस्तीर्थानि कुरुते जपजाप्यानि भूरिशः । अन्यः पश्यति मामत्र फलं ताभ्यां समं स्मृतम्

Transliteration

ekastīrthāni kurute japajāpyāni bhūriśaḥ | anyaḥ paśyati māmatra phalaṃ tābhyāṃ samaṃ smṛtam

Translation

واحدٌ يَقصِدُ المَشاهدَ المقدَّسةَ (تيرثا) ويُكثِرُ من الجَپا والتلاوات؛ وآخرُ يَراني هاهنا—وقد ذُكِرَ أنَّ الثمرةَ لهما سواءٌ.

Word by Word

• ekaḥ: one (person)
• ekaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• tīrthāni: pilgrimages/holy places (visits)
• tīrthāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• kurute: performs
• kurute: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• japa-jāpyāni: (acts of) japa and recitations
• japa-jāpyāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: japa (प्रातिपदिक) + jāpya (प्रातिपदिक); समासः
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural); इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (japāś ca jāpyāni ca)

• bhūriśaḥ: abundantly, repeatedly
• bhūriśaḥ: Kriyā-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bhūriśas (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकार/प्रमाणवाचक (adverb of degree: ‘abundantly, many times’)

• anyaḥ: another (person)
• anyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• paśyati: sees
• paśyati: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √paś (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• mām: me
• mām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तम-पुरुष-सर्वनाम, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• phalam: result
• phalam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• tābhyām: by/for those two
• tābhyām: Karaṇa/Hetu (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: त्रिलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), द्विवचन (Dual)

• samam: equal
• samam: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम् (qualifying) phalam

• smṛtam: is stated
• smṛtam: Kriyā (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √smṛ (धातु) + kta (क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त-प्रत्यय); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya narrative style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Unspecified; addressed to a Śiva-epithet context in adjacent verses

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim stands at Prabhāsa with folded hands, beholding the Lord’s presence (icon/linga/tejas), while in the background other figures perform japa with rosaries and travel between distant tīrthas—both streams of merit converging into a single radiant fruit.

Characters & Entities

• Prabhāsa
• Prabhāsakṣetra
• Tīrtha
• Japa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Prabhāsa is presented as a supremely concentrated tīrtha where darśana equals extensive pilgrimage and mantra-practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra (Prabhāsa).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pilgrimage to tīrthas and performing japa/recitations in great quantity are mentioned as the compared practices.