Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

षोडशांशं स लभते यः पराथं च गच्छति । अर्धं तीर्थफलं तस्य यः प्रसंगेन गच्छति

Transliteration

ṣoḍaśāṃśaṃ sa labhate yaḥ parāthaṃ ca gacchati | ardhaṃ tīrthaphalaṃ tasya yaḥ prasaṃgena gacchati

Translation

Wer um eines anderen willen zu einem Tīrtha geht, erhält nur den sechzehnten Teil des vollen Verdienstes. Wer jedoch nur beiläufig dorthin gelangt, erlangt die Hälfte der Tīrtha-Frucht.

Word by Word

• षोडशांशम्: a sixteenth part
• षोडशांशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षोडश-अंश (प्रातिपदिक); षोडश + अंश
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (numerical)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• लभते: obtains
• लभते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (सम्बन्धक)

• परार्थम्: for another’s purpose
• परार्थम्: Karma/Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर-अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक); पर + अर्थ
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘परस्य अर्थः’ (for another’s sake)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• गच्छति: goes
• गच्छति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• अर्धम्: half
• अर्धम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• तीर्थफलम्: the fruit of the tīrtha
• तीर्थफलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ-फल (प्रातिपदिक); तीर्थ + फल
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘तीर्थस्य फलम्’ (fruit of tīrtha)

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रसङ्गेन: incidentally
• प्रसङ्गेन: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रसङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (हेतु), एकवचन

• गच्छति: goes
• गच्छति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Generic tīrtha (within Kāśī discourse)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two travelers at a crossroads: one going on an errand for another, distracted; another who stumbles upon the tīrtha and pauses in reverence—visualizing differential merit.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrtha
• Tīrthaphala
• Parārtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The fruit of pilgrimage is graded; the inner orientation and context of one’s journey shape the measure of tīrtha-merit received.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Tīrthas in general, as part of the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s broader praise of sacred geography culminating in Avimukta (Kāśī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed; the verse gives a dharmic valuation of pilgrimage merit based on the purpose of travel.