Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

तदर्धं तर्पणेनैव स्नानात्पादमवाप्नुयात् । तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन तत्र श्राद्धं समाचरेत्

Transliteration

tadardhaṃ tarpaṇenaiva snānātpādamavāpnuyāt | tasmātsarvaprayatnena tatra śrāddhaṃ samācaret

Translation

Durch Tarpaṇa allein erlangt man die Hälfte jenes Verdienstes, und durch das Bad ein Viertel. Darum soll man sich mit aller Kraft bemühen, dort das Śrāddha zu vollziehen.

Word by Word

• tadardham: half of that (merit/result)
• tadardham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + ardha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (तस्य अर्धम्)

• tarpaṇena: by (means of) libation/oblations (tarpaṇa)
• tarpaṇena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tarpaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• eva: indeed/only
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• snānāt: from bathing; by bathing (as a basis of comparison)
• snānāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन

• pādam: a quarter (part)
• pādam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• avāpnuyāt: would obtain/attain
• avāpnuyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava√āp (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात् इति अव्ययीभाववत् प्रयोगः; हेत्वर्थे निपात (therefore)

• sarva-prayatnena: with all effort
• sarva-prayatnena: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + prayatna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः (सर्वः प्रयत्नः)

• tatra: there
• tatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• śrāddham: śrāddha rite (ancestral offering)
• śrāddham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrāddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• samācaret: should perform/practice
• samācaret: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√car (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Narrator (Purāṇic voice)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Yudhiṣṭhira (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher-like narrator indicates three acts—snāna, tarpaṇa, śrāddha—shown as sequential vignettes on the Prabhāsa bank, with symbolic fractions (1/4, 1/2, full) subtly represented as ritual lamps of increasing brightness.

Characters & Entities

• Tarpaṇa
• Snāna
• Śrāddha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma ranks rites by potency at a tīrtha: śrāddha is urged as the most efficacious, supported by tarpaṇa and snāna.

Which specific holy site (Tīrtha) is glorified here?

The Prabhāsakṣetra spot previously indicated (‘tatra’), tied to Viṣṇu’s grace and pilgrimage practice.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform śrāddha there with full effort; tarpaṇa yields half the merit, and snāna yields a quarter.