Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

तं दृष्ट्वा तु वरारोहे गंगास्नानफलं लभेत् । अश्वमेधसहस्रस्य फलं प्राप्नोति मानवः

Transliteration

taṃ dṛṣṭvā tu varārohe gaṃgāsnānaphalaṃ labhet | aśvamedhasahasrasya phalaṃ prāpnoti mānavaḥ

Translation

Ô Dame aux membres nobles, rien qu’en le contemplant on obtient le fruit d’un bain dans la Gaṅgā ; l’homme acquiert un mérite égal à mille sacrifices Aśvamedha.

Word by Word

• tam: him/that (liṅga)
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धा॒तु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) = ‘having seen’

• tu: indeed / but
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle) = emphasis/contrast ‘indeed/but’

• varārohe: O fair-hipped lady
• varārohe: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varārohā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (varā + ārohā) = ‘O fair-hipped one’

• gaṅgā-snāna-phalam: the merit of bathing in the Gaṅgā
• gaṅgā-snāna-phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṅgā (प्रातिपदिक) + snāna (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः = ‘the fruit of bathing in the Gaṅgā’

• labhet: would obtain
• labhet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धा॒तु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्; सामान्यकर्ता (one) implied

• aśvamedha-sahasrasya: of a thousand Aśvamedhas
• aśvamedha-sahasrasya: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśvamedha (प्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः = ‘of a thousand Aśvamedha (sacrifices)’

• phalam: fruit/result
• phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• prāpnoti: attains
• prāpnoti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prā + āp (धा॒तु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• mānavaḥ: a man
• mānavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Śiva (deduced; addressing Devī as varārohā)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgeśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim (or a group) stands before the Gaṅgeśvara-liṅga; the liṅga radiates sanctity as if Gaṅgā’s waters and the fire of a thousand Aśvamedhas are symbolically present; offerings, lamps, and a sense of miraculous merit fill the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Aśvamedha
• Gaṅgeśvara (implied by context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere darśana of a sanctified liṅga in a great tīrtha can bestow immense merit, comparable to major Vedic sacrifices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgeśvara in Prabhāsa Kṣetra, whose darśana is praised as supremely merit-giving.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana (reverent viewing/visitation) is emphasized; the merit is compared to Gaṅgā-snān and Aśvamedha performance.