Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

प्रयागस्नानजं पुण्यं सर्वतीर्थफलं तथा । अग्निष्टोमादियागानां फलं भूयादनुत्तमम्

Transliteration

prayāgasnānajaṃ puṇyaṃ sarvatīrthaphalaṃ tathā | agniṣṭomādiyāgānāṃ phalaṃ bhūyādanuttamam

Translation

Hier erlangt man das Verdienst, das aus dem Bad in Prayāga entsteht, die Frucht aller Tīrthas; ja selbst die unvergleichlichen Ergebnisse von Opfern wie dem Agniṣṭoma werden hier in höchster Weise zuteil.

Word by Word

• prayāga-snāna-jam: born of bathing at Prayaga
• prayāga-snāna-jam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prayāga (प्रातिपदिक) + snāna (प्रातिपदिक) + ja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (prayāge snānam, tasmāt jātaṃ)

• puṇyam: merit
• puṇyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• sarva-tīrtha-phalam: the fruit of all pilgrimage places
• sarva-tīrtha-phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (sarveṣāṃ tīrthānāṃ phalam)

• tathā: also; likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — समुच्चय/उपमानार्थक (also/likewise)

• agniṣṭoma-ādi-yāgānām: of sacrifices such as the Agniṣṭoma
• agniṣṭoma-ādi-yāgānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: agniṣṭoma (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + yāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (agniṣṭoma-ādayaḥ yāgāḥ)

• phalam: fruit; result
• phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• bhūyāt: would be; may become
• bhūyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• anuttamam: unsurpassed; supreme
• anuttamam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anuttama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन — ‘phalam’ इति विशेषणम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Setukhaṇḍa māhātmya narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kapitīrtha (Setu tīrtha)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas / tīrtha-seeking audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic tableau: the Setu tīrtha radiates as if containing all tīrthas; faint iconographic emblems of Prayāga (triveṇī), yajña-kuṇḍa flames (Agniṣṭoma), and pilgrim bathers converge into one luminous water-body.

Characters & Entities

• Prayāga
• Agniṣṭoma
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage merit can be concentrated in a single divinely-sanctified place, making dharma accessible beyond costly rites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Setu-region Kapitīrtha described in Adhyāya 39.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sacred bathing at the tīrtha is praised as equivalent to Prayāga snāna and major Vedic sacrifices.