Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

वाराणस्यां कुरुक्षेत्रे मथुरायां त्रिपुष्करे । अयोध्यायां प्रयागे च तीर्थे सागरसंगमे

Transliteration

vārāṇasyāṃ kurukṣetre mathurāyāṃ tripuṣkare | ayodhyāyāṃ prayāge ca tīrthe sāgarasaṃgame

Translation

(It equals the merit obtained) in Vārāṇasī, in Kurukṣetra, in Mathurā, in Tripuṣkara; in Ayodhyā and in Prayāga; and at the sacred ford where the ocean meets the holy waters.

Word by Word

• वाराणस्याम्: in Vārāṇasī
• वाराणस्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• कुरुक्षेत्रे: in Kurukṣetra
• कुरुक्षेत्रे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरुक्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; समासः—कुरु + क्षेत्र (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: 'of the Kurus' + 'field')

• मथुरायाम्: in Mathurā
• मथुरायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मथुरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• त्रिपुष्करे: in Tripuṣkara
• त्रिपुष्करे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि + पुष्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; समासः—त्रि + पुष्कर (द्विगु: 'three Puṣkaras')

• अयोध्यायाम्: in Ayodhyā
• अयोध्यायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयोध्या (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• प्रयागे: in Prayāga
• प्रयागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

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

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

• सागर-संगमे: at the ocean-confluence
• सागर-संगमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सागर + संगम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; समासः—सागर + संगम (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: 'confluence of the ocean')

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Dvārakā Māhātmya narrative style within Skanda Purāṇa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vārāṇasī; Kurukṣetra; Mathurā; Tripuṣkara; Ayodhyā; Prayāga; Sāgara-saṅgama tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvija-s (brāhmaṇas)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A visionary map-like montage: iconic markers of Vārāṇasī ghāṭas, Kurukṣetra plains, Mathurā’s Yamunā, Puṣkara’s lake, Ayodhyā’s Sarayū, Prayāga’s Triveṇī, and a vast ocean confluence—each glowing as the narrator declares equivalence of merit.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī
• Kurukṣetra
• Mathurā
• Tripuṣkara
• Ayodhyā
• Prayāga
• Sāgara-saṅgama

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma often teaches that sincere worship and vows can equal the merit of visiting many famed tīrthas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Multiple sites are invoked: Vārāṇasī (Kāśī), Kurukṣetra, Mathurā, Tripuṣkara, Ayodhyā, Prayāga, and a sāgara-saṅgama tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new rite is added; the verse expands the promised fruit by equating it with pilgrimage merits.