Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

पितरं मातरं तीर्थे भ्रातरं सुहृदं गुरुम् । यमुद्दिश्य निमज्जेत द्वादशांशं लभेत सः

Transliteration

pitaraṃ mātaraṃ tīrthe bhrātaraṃ suhṛdaṃ gurum | yamuddiśya nimajjeta dvādaśāṃśaṃ labheta saḥ

Translation

ತೀರ್ಥದಲ್ಲಿ ತಂದೆ, ತಾಯಿ, ಸಹೋದರ, ಸ್ನೇಹಿತ ಅಥವಾ ಗುರು ಅವರನ್ನು ಉದ್ದೇಶಿಸಿ ಯಾರು ಮುಳುಗಿ ಸ್ನಾನಮಾಡುವನೋ, ಅವನು ಅವರ ಪುಣ್ಯದ ದ್ವಾದಶಾಂಶವನ್ನು ಪಡೆಯುತ್ತಾನೆ.

Word by Word

• pitaram: father
• pitaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative Singular

• mātaram: mother
• mātaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative Singular

• tīrthe: in a sacred ford/place (tīrtha)
• tīrthe: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन — Locative Singular

• bhrātaram: brother
• bhrātaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhrātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative Singular

• suhṛdam: friend; well-wisher
• suhṛdam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: suhṛd (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative Singular

• gurum: teacher
• gurum: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guru (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative Singular

• yam: whom
• yam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative Singular (relative pronoun)

• uddiśya: having intended; addressing (in mind)
• uddiśya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial to main verb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ud-√diś (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive) — ‘having intended/with reference to’

• nimajjeta: should immerse/bathe
• nimajjeta: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-√majj (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Optative 3rd sg

• dvādaśāṃśam: a twelfth part
• dvādaśāṃśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvādaśa + aṃśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (संख्यापूर्वपद); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन — Accusative Singular

• labheta: would obtain; should get
• labheta: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √labh (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन — Optative 3rd sg

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन — Nominative Singular

Speaker

Skanda (as narrator of Prabhāsa-māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims at Prabhāsa’s sacred waters perform snāna with folded hands, mentally dedicating merit to father, mother, brother, friend, and guru; Somnath’s sacred aura implied in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrtha
• Guru
• Parents

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage rites become more potent when performed with compassionate intention for one’s relations and teachers.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A tīrtha within Prabhāsa Kṣetra, in the Prabhāsakṣetramāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tīrtha-immersion (snāna/nimajjana) done with saṅkalpa dedicating benefit to specific persons.