Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

गंगास्नाने कृते सम्यक्कोटिधा यत्फलं स्मृतम् । दशहेमसहस्राणां कुरुक्षेत्रे रवेर्ग्रहे

Transliteration

gaṃgāsnāne kṛte samyakkoṭidhā yatphalaṃ smṛtam | daśahemasahasrāṇāṃ kurukṣetre ravergrahe

Translation

Welches Verdienst auch immer nach der Überlieferung als crore-fach erwachsend gilt, wenn man sich ordnungsgemäß in der Gaṅgā badet,—und welches Verdienst auch immer aus der Gabe von zehntausend Goldstücken in Kurukṣetra zur Zeit einer Sonnenfinsternis entsteht,—

Word by Word

• gaṃgāsnāne: in the bath in the Gaṅgā
• gaṃgāsnāne: Adhikarana (Location/Occasion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṃgā-snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (गङ्गायां स्नानम्)

• kṛte: when (it is) done
• kṛte: Adhikarana (Time/Condition)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛta (कृदन्त; √kṛ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; भूतकृदन्तः; ‘(स्नाने) कृते’ = when done

• samyak: properly; completely
• samyak: Sambandha (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samyak (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb)

• koṭidhā: a crore-fold
• koṭidhā: Sambandha (Measure/Extent)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: koṭi-dhā (अव्यय-निर्माण)
• Form: अव्ययम्; ‘धा’ प्रत्ययेन प्रकारवाचक (in-fold manner) — ‘कोटि-धा’ = a crore-fold

• yat: which
• yat: Sambandha (Relative pronoun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; सम्बन्धक सर्वनाम

• phalam: fruit/result
• phalam: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; ‘यत्’ इत्यस्य सहपदम्

• smṛtam: is stated/remembered
• smṛtam: Kriya (Predicative)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: smṛta (कृदन्त; √smṛ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; भूतकृदन्तः; ‘स्मृतम्’ = said/remembered (in tradition)

• daśahemasahasrāṇām: of ten-thousands of gold (ten thousand gold pieces)
• daśahemasahasrāṇām: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daśa-hema-sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; समासः—द्विगुः (दश + हेमसहस्र) = ten thousand (units) of gold; षष्ठीसम्बन्धे

• kurukṣetre: in Kurukṣetra
• kurukṣetre: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuru-kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (कुरूणां क्षेत्रम्)

• raveḥ: of the Sun (Ravi)
• raveḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ravi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• grahe: at the eclipse
• grahe: Adhikarana (Time/Occasion)
• Type: Noun
• Root: graha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; ‘ग्रह’ = ग्रहण/ग्रहणकालः (eclipse)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā / Kurukṣetra (as comparators)

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A split-scene comparison: pilgrims bathing in the Gaṅgā with sunrise; elsewhere, Kurukṣetra during a solar eclipse with dāna of gold—both framed as benchmarks for an even greater vrata merit being proclaimed.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Kurukṣetra
• Sūrya (Ravi)
• Grahaṇa (eclipse)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma measures sacred actions by inner correctness and sacred context—snāna and dāna at renowned tīrthas are benchmarks for extraordinary merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā-tīrtha and Kurukṣetra are invoked as exemplary merit-giving sites, within a larger praise-context of Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Proper bathing in the Gaṅgā and giving large gold charity at Kurukṣetra during a solar eclipse are cited as high-standard meritorious acts (as comparisons).