Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 169

Devanagari script

तीर्थकोटिसहस्रैस्तु कृतैः श्राद्धैश्च यत्फलम् । पितॄणां तत्फलं प्रोक्तं गोमतीतिलतर्पणात्

Transliteration

tīrthakoṭisahasraistu kṛtaiḥ śrāddhaiśca yatphalam | pitṝṇāṃ tatphalaṃ proktaṃ gomatītilatarpaṇāt

Translation

Die Frucht für die Pitṛs, die aus śrāddhas an zig Millionen tīrthas erwächst—dieselbe Frucht, so wird verkündet, entsteht durch tilatarpaṇa, das Darbringen von Wasser mit Sesam, in der Gomati.

Word by Word

• तीर्थ-कोटि-सहस्रैः: by crores and thousands of sacred places
• तीर्थ-कोटि-सहस्रैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + कोटि (प्रातिपदिक) + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (तीर्थाणां कोटि-सहस्रैः = by crores and thousands of tīrthas)

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle), विरोध/विशेषार्थे (but/indeed)

• कृतैः: performed
• कृतैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: कृ-धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (done/performed)

• श्राद्धैः: by śrāddha rites
• श्राद्धैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• यत्-फलम्: whatever result
• यत्-फलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष (यत् फलम् = whatever fruit/result)

• पितॄणाम्: of the ancestors
• पितॄणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• तत्-फलम्: that result
• तत्-फलम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष (that very fruit)

• प्रोक्तम्: is declared
• प्रोक्तम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√वच् (धातु)
• Form: प्र-√वच्-धातोः क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे विधेय (is said/declared)

• गोमती-तिल-तर्पणात्: from offering libations with sesame at the Gomati
• गोमती-तिल-तर्पणात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोमती (प्रातिपदिक) + तिल (प्रातिपदिक) + तर्पण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (गोमती-तीरे तिलैः कृतं तर्पणम्; from sesame-offering at the Gomati)

Speaker

Pitṛs (ancestral beings)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: गोमती (tilatarpaṇa-tīrtha within Dvārakā)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim stands knee-deep in the Gomati holding a small vessel; black sesame floats in water as he offers tarpaṇa with cupped hands; unseen pitṛs receive; the river glows with sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛs
• Gomatī
• Tilatarpaṇa
• Śrāddha
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Simple, properly done Pitṛ-offerings at an exalted tīrtha can equal vast accumulations of ritual merit performed elsewhere.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gomati tīrtha (in the Dvārakā sacred landscape) is praised as uniquely potent for ancestral benefit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Gomatī-tila-tarpaṇa: offering tarpaṇa with sesame (tila) in the waters of the Gomati for the Pitṛs.