Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन स्नानं तत्र समाचरेत् । तीर्थे दानं यथाशक्त्या देवर्षिपितृतर्पणम्

Transliteration

tasmātsarvaprayatnena snānaṃ tatra samācaret | tīrthe dānaṃ yathāśaktyā devarṣipitṛtarpaṇam

Translation

Therefore, with every effort one should perform bathing there; and at that tīrtha one should give charity according to one’s capacity, and offer tarpaṇa—libations of water—to the gods, sages, and ancestors.

Word by Word

• तस्मात्: from that; therefore
• तस्मात्: अपादान (Source/Ablative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन

• सर्वप्रयत्नेन: with all effort
• सर्वप्रयत्नेन: करण (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (सर्वः प्रयत्नः = all effort)

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: अधिकरण (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb)

• समाचरेत्: should perform/practise
• समाचरेत्: क्रिया (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तीर्थे: at the sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• तीर्थे: अधिकरण (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• दानम्: gift/charity
• दानम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• यथाशक्त्या: according to one’s ability
• यथाशक्त्या: करण (Manner/Means)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + शक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास (यथा + शक्ति = according to ability); रूपतः स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः)

• देवर्षिपितृतर्पणम्: offering of satisfaction (libations) to gods, sages, and ancestors
• देवर्षिपितृतर्पणम्: कर्म (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक) + पितृ (प्रातिपदिक) + तर्पण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (देवानां ऋषीणां पितॄणां तर्पणम्)

Speaker

Pulastya (deduced from continuity in Arbuda Khaṇḍa instruction)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Arbuda tīrtha (unspecified sub-tīrtha; 'tatra tīrthe')

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A king (rājendra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A structured ghat scene: pilgrims bathe, then offer charity to priests/poor, and finally perform tarpana with cupped hands, water streaming back into the tīrtha.

Characters & Entities

• Deva
• Ṛṣi
• Pitṛ
• Tīrtha (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrtha practice is complete when personal purification (snāna) is joined with generosity (dāna) and gratitude toward cosmic lineages (tarpaṇa).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Arbuda-region tīrtha under discussion in Adhyāya 16; the verse gives general ritual guidance for that sacred place.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna at the tīrtha, dāna according to one’s means, and tarpaṇa offerings to devas, ṛṣis, and pitṛs.