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

বীরষ্ঠা নদীতে স্নান করলে যে ফল, গয়ায় পিতার উদ্দেশে পিণ্ডদান করলে যে পুণ্য, আর কুরু-জাঙ্গলে স্বর্ণদান করলে যে ফল—সেই একই ফল বিষ্ণুর জাগরণে 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).