Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 30

Devanagari script

प्रयागगमने पुंसां यत्फलं तपसि श्रुतम् । तत्फलं स्याद्दशगुणमत्र स्नात्वा ममाग्रतः

Transliteration

prayāgagamane puṃsāṃ yatphalaṃ tapasi śrutam | tatphalaṃ syāddaśaguṇamatra snātvā mamāgrataḥ

Translation

Welcher Lohn den Menschen der Überlieferung nach aus der Wallfahrt nach Prayāga erwächst, derselbe Lohn wird hier zehnfach, wenn man sich an diesem heiligen Ort vor mir badet.

Word by Word

• प्रयागगमने: in (the matter of) going to Prayāga
• प्रयागगमने: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयाग (प्रातिपदिक) + गमन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—प्रयागस्य गमनम् (Locative singular)

• पुंसाम्: of men/people
• पुंसाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुम्स्/पुंस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन (Genitive plural)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Visheshana (Correlative/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक सर्वनाम-विशेषण (relative ‘which’)

• फलम्: fruit, result
• फलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तपसि: in austerity (tapas)
• तपसि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन (Locative singular)

• श्रुतम्: heard/declared
• श्रुतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रु (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (heard, stated)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Correlative/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; निर्देशवाचक (that)

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

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

• दशगुणम्: tenfold
• दशगुणम्: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दश (प्रातिपदिक) + गुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; द्विगुः—दश गुणाः यस्य (tenfold)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (locative adverb)

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव (having bathed)

• मम: of me / my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• अग्रतः: in front (of)
• अग्रतः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अग्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival/locative adverb): ‘in front of’

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prayāga-tīrtha (Kāśī) before Prayāga-Mādhava

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrims/seekers in Kāśī-māhātmya frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee bathes at the ghāṭ ‘before’ Prayāga-Mādhava; above, a symbolic scale shows Prayāga’s merit multiplied tenfold—ten radiant lotuses or ten beams emanating from the deity toward the bathing waters.

Characters & Entities

• Prayāga
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Mādhava (implied by context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is proclaimed as a supreme sacred geography where standard tīrtha-merits are multiplied.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The local Kāśī tīrtha in the deity’s presence, compared explicitly with Prayāga’s pilgrimage merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) performed ‘before’ the deity—i.e., with darśana and devotional orientation.