Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 11
गत्वा परार्थं तीर्थादौ षोडशांशफलं लभेत् । गच्छतश्च प्रसङ्गेन तीर्थमर्द्धफलं स्मृतम्
gatvā parārthaṃ tīrthādau ṣoḍaśāṃśaphalaṃ labhet | gacchataśca prasaṅgena tīrthamarddhaphalaṃ smṛtam
Si l’on se rend à un tīrtha d’abord pour le bien d’autrui, on n’obtient qu’un seizième du fruit. Et celui qui y va seulement par fréquentation fortuite, le tīrtha, dit-on, ne donne que la moitié du fruit.
Uncertain from snippet (didactic passage on tīrtha-yātrā merit within Revā Khaṇḍa)
Tirtha: Revā tīrtha-yātrā (general)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A group of travelers on the Narmadā route: one pilgrim walks with focused devotion holding a water-pot and rosary; another accompanies for someone else’s errand; a third joins casually—above them, a symbolic scale shows differing ‘phala’ portions (1/16, 1/2, full).
FAQs
Pilgrimage merit depends strongly on intention; going with diluted purpose yields diminished fruit.
A tīrtha in general is discussed; the verse does not name a specific ford or shrine.
A rule-of-thumb for phala: going ‘for another’s purpose’ yields 1/16 fruit; going incidentally yields half fruit.