Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

ईदृशं न गयातीर्थं यादृगेतत्प्रकाशते

Transliteration

īdṛśaṃ na gayātīrthaṃ yādṛgetatprakāśate

Translation

Même le Gayā-tīrtha ne paraît pas briller ainsi, comme brille ce kṣetra sacré.

Word by Word

• ईदृशम्: such (like this)
• ईदृशम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ईदृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc. 1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• गयातीर्थम्: the Gayā pilgrimage-place
• गयातीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गया + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc. 1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (गयायाः तीर्थम्)

• यादृक्: as (of the kind that)
• यादृक्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यादृश् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); सर्वनाम-प्रकृति (relative adjective)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रकाशते: shines forth / appears
• प्रकाशते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: काश् (धातु) + प्र (उपसर्ग)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Nārada (deduced from the ongoing comparative eulogy of sacred places)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gayā-tīrtha (comparator); focal kṣetra in context: Dvārakā

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A comparative sacred scene: on one side, Gayā with priests performing piṇḍa-dāna by the river; on the other, the focal kṣetra radiates brighter light, drawing the pilgrim’s gaze upward in devotion, suggesting that bhakti-filled darśana can rival even specialized pitṛ-tīrthas.

Characters & Entities

• Gayā-tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse teaches reverence for the supreme sanctity of the praised kṣetra, presenting it as exceptionally luminous in spiritual potency.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gayā-tīrtha is mentioned as a benchmark of sanctity, yet the implied subject (Dvārakā in this chapter) is said to surpass it in splendor.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; Gayā is traditionally associated with piṇḍa-dāna for ancestors, but that rite is not stated in this line.