Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

गयादिपितृतीर्थानि प्रभासाद्यानि यानि च । स्थानानि यानि पुण्यानि ग्रामाश्च निवसंति वै

Transliteration

gayādipitṛtīrthāni prabhāsādyāni yāni ca | sthānāni yāni puṇyāni grāmāśca nivasaṃti vai

Translation

The Pitṛ‑tīrthas beginning with Gayā, and the holy places beginning with Prabhāsa—whatever sacred stations and sanctified villages there are—truly, all abide here.

Word by Word

• गयादिपितृतीर्थानि: ancestral pilgrimage-places like Gayā
• गयादिपितृतीर्थानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गया+आदि+पितृतीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—(गया+आदि)+पितृतीर्थ (तत्पुरुष)

• प्रभासाद्यानि: Prabhāsa and others
• प्रभासाद्यानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रभास+आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—प्रभास+आदि (तत्पुरुष)

• यानि: which
• यानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम

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

• स्थानानि: places
• स्थानानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• यानि: which
• यानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक-सर्वनाम

• पुण्यानि: holy, meritorious
• पुण्यानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• ग्रामाः: villages
• ग्रामाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्राम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

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

• निवसन्ति: reside
• निवसन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि+वस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथम-पुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय/पादपूरण (particle: emphasis)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (as sarva-tīrtha-sannidhāna)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Daitya interlocutor (addressed as ‘daitya-śārdūla’ in adjacent verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic sacred map-vision: Gayā, Prabhāsa, and innumerable tīrthas and ‘puṇya-grāmas’ symbolically converging into Dvārakā’s sacred precincts, with pilgrims arriving from all directions.

Characters & Entities

• Gayā
• Prabhāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A supreme tīrtha is praised as a convergence-point where the merits of many famed sacred sites are accessible.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dvārakā (context) is glorified through comparison with Gayā (Pitṛ-tīrtha) and Prabhāsa (major Prabhāsa-kṣetra tīrtha).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Indirectly supports Pitṛ-rites (tarpaṇa/śrāddha) by mentioning Pitṛ-tīrthas, but no step-by-step ritual is specified.