Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

सर्वेषामेव वर्णानां सर्वाश्रमनिवासिनाम् । तीर्थं तु फलदं ज्ञेयं नात्र कार्या विचारणा

Transliteration

sarveṣāmeva varṇānāṃ sarvāśramanivāsinām | tīrthaṃ tu phaladaṃ jñeyaṃ nātra kāryā vicāraṇā

Translation

لجميع الفَرْنات (varṇa) ولمن يقيمون في كلّ آشرَمَة (āśrama)، ينبغي أن يُعلَم أنّ التيرثا (tīrtha) مُثمِرٌ مانحٌ للثواب؛ ولا حاجة هنا إلى شكٍّ أو جدال.

Word by Word

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सर्वनामसदृश-विशेषण (used substantively)

• एव: indeed, only
• एव: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (emphatic particle)

• वर्णानाम्: of the social classes
• वर्णानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन

• सर्व: all
• सर्व: —
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; समासपूर्वपद (in compound)

• आश्रम: stage of life
• आश्रम: —
• Type: Noun
• Root: आश्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; समासमध्यपद (in compound)

• निवासिनाम्: of those residing (in)
• निवासिनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निवासिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचन; सर्व-आश्रम-निवासिन् (तत्पुरुष: 'those dwelling in all āśramas')

• तीर्थम्: the pilgrimage-place
• तीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (contrastive particle)

• फलदम्: fruit-giving
• फलदम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: फलद (प्रातिपदिक; from √दा (धातु) with उपपद)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; फल-द (उपपद-तत्पुरुष: 'giving fruit'), विशेषण (तीर्थम्)

• ज्ञेयम्: should be known
• ज्ञेयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्ञेय (कृदन्त; √ज्ञा (धातु) + यत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicative: 'to be known')

• न: not
• न: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध-निपात (negation)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place)

• कार्या: necessary
• कार्या: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कार्य (कृदन्त; √कृ (धातु) + यत्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicative: 'to be done/necessary')

• विचारणा: consideration, deliberation
• विचारणा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विचारणा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Īśvarī (Pārvatī) or a Devī addressed as 'Īśvari' (contextual narrator within Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra (contextual) / all tīrthas

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic tīrtha scene showing four āśramas and multiple varṇas—students, householders, forest-dwellers, renunciants—standing together at the water’s edge, receiving equal sacred light from the kṣetra.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrthas are universally beneficial—across social orders and life-stages—when approached within dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The statement is general about tīrthas, framed by the Prabhāsakṣetra Māhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An affirmation of eligibility: all varṇas and āśramas may seek tīrtha फल (spiritual results).