Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 11
गत्वा परार्थं तीर्थादौ षोडशांशफलं लभेत् । गच्छतश्च प्रसङ्गेन तीर्थमर्द्धफलं स्मृतम्
gatvā parārthaṃ tīrthādau ṣoḍaśāṃśaphalaṃ labhet | gacchataśca prasaṅgena tīrthamarddhaphalaṃ smṛtam
Geht jemand zu einem Tīrtha vornehmlich um eines anderen willen, so erlangt er nur den sechzehnten Teil der Frucht. Wer aber nur aus beiläufiger Gemeinschaft mitgeht, dem, so heißt es, gewährt der Tīrtha nur die halbe Frucht.
Uncertain from snippet (didactic passage on tīrtha-yātrā merit within Revā Khaṇḍa)
Tirtha: Revā tīrtha-yātrā (general)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A group of travelers on the Narmadā route: one pilgrim walks with focused devotion holding a water-pot and rosary; another accompanies for someone else’s errand; a third joins casually—above them, a symbolic scale shows differing ‘phala’ portions (1/16, 1/2, full).
FAQs
Pilgrimage merit depends strongly on intention; going with diluted purpose yields diminished fruit.
A tīrtha in general is discussed; the verse does not name a specific ford or shrine.
A rule-of-thumb for phala: going ‘for another’s purpose’ yields 1/16 fruit; going incidentally yields half fruit.