Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

स्नानेन यत्प्राप्य नदीं वीरष्ठां यत्पिंडदानेन पितुर्गयायाम् । यद्धेमदानात्कुरुजांगले च तत्स्यात्फलं जागरणेन विष्णोः

Transliteration

snānena yatprāpya nadīṃ vīraṣṭhāṃ yatpiṃḍadānena piturgayāyām | yaddhemadānātkurujāṃgale ca tatsyātphalaṃ jāgaraṇena viṣṇoḥ

Translation

বীৰষ্ঠা নদীত স্নান কৰি, গয়াত পিতৃৰ উদ্দেশ্যে পিণ্ডদান কৰি, আৰু কুরুজাঙ্গলত হেমদান কৰি যি পুণ্য লাভ হয়—সেই একে ফল বিষ্ণুৰ জাগৰণে লাভ হয়।

Word by Word

• स्नानेन: by bathing
• स्नानेन: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Correlative (यत्...तत्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सूचक

• प्राप्य: having reached
• प्राप्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; अर्थे ‘प्राप्य = having reached’

• नदीम्: a river
• नदीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नदी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• वीरष्ठाम्: Vīraṣṭhā (name of the river)
• वीरष्ठाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीरष्ठा (प्रातिपदिक; पाठभेद-संभाव्य)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; नदी-विशेष-नाम (विशेष्य ‘नदीम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणवत्)

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Correlative (यत्...तत्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• पिण्डदानेन: by offering funeral rice-balls
• पिण्डदानेन: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्डदान (प्रातिपदिक; पिण्ड + दान)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; ‘पिण्डस्य दानम्’ षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• पितुः: of (one’s) father
• पितुः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• गयायाम्: at Gayā
• गयायाम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गया (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; देश-नाम

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Correlative (यत्...तत्)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• हेमदानात्: from (the act of) giving gold
• हेमदानात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेमदान (प्रातिपदिक; हेम + दान)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; ‘हेमस्य दानम्’ षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष; हेतौ/निमित्ते ‘from/by (the act of)’

• कुरुजाङ्गले: in Kurujāṅgala (a region)
• कुरुजाङ्गले: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरुजाङ्गल (प्रातिपदिक; कुरु + जाङ्गल)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (देश-नाम), सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; ‘कुरुषु जाङ्गलः’ इति तत्पुरुष-प्रायः

• च: and
• च: Connector (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karta/Predicate nominative
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• स्यात्: would be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधि), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karta/Predicate nominative
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• जागरणेन: by vigil
• जागरणेन: Karana/Hetu (Instrument/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जागरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• विष्णोः: of Vishnu
• विष्णोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

Speaker

Narrative voice (contextual Purāṇic narration within Dvārakā Māhātmya; specific speaker not explicit in this verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viṣṇu-jāgaraṇa (as vrata) within Dvārakā-māhātmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṣaṇmukha (context from surrounding verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic triptych: (1) pilgrims bathing in a river labeled Vīraṣṭhā, (2) a son offering piṇḍas at Gayā with priests, (3) a donor gifting gold in a Kuru landscape—overarched by a central scene of devotees keeping Viṣṇu vigil, showing all merits converging into the vigil.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu
• Gayā
• Kuru-jāṅgala
• Vīraṣṭhā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional night-vigil for Viṣṇu is praised as equal in merit to renowned tīrtha-acts like sacred bathing, Gayā śrāddha, and gold-dāna.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gayā is directly referenced; the verse also names the river Vīraṣṭhā and the region Kuru-jāṅgala as meritorious locales.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Jāgaraṇa (staying awake in worship) for Viṣṇu, alongside references to snāna (sacred bathing), piṇḍa-dāna at Gayā, and hema-dāna (gold charity).