Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

पञ्चमं सर्वतीर्थेषु कल्पनीयं हि दूरतः । तीरस्थो योजनादर्वाग्दशांशं लभते फलम्

Transliteration

pañcamaṃ sarvatīrtheṣu kalpanīyaṃ hi dūrataḥ | tīrastho yojanādarvāgdaśāṃśaṃ labhate phalam

Translation

അഞ്ചാമത്തെ (ഫലക്രമം) എല്ലാ തീർത്ഥങ്ങളിലും ദൂരത്തുനിന്നും പോലും ആശയമായി ഗ്രഹിക്കാവുന്നതാണ്. തീരത്ത്, ഒരു യോജനയ്ക്കുള്ളിൽ നിലകൊള്ളുന്നവൻ ഫലത്തിന്റെ പത്തിലൊന്ന് പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• pañcamam: the fifth (benefit)
• pañcamam: Karma/Pratijna (Object/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pañcama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg; 'the fifth (benefit)')

• sarva-tīrtheṣu: in all tīrthas
• sarva-tīrtheṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: तत्पुरुष (sarveṣu tīrtheṣu = in all sacred places); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन (locative plural)

• kalpanīyam: to be conceived/assumed
• kalpanīyam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √kḷp (कॢप् धातु)
• Form: णीयत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive/future passive participle: 'to be supposed/arranged'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (agreeing with pañcamam)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/हेतुवाचक-निपात (particle: indeed/for)

• dūrataḥ: from a distance
• dūrataḥ: Apadana/Desha (Source/Place)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dūra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb: 'from afar')

• tīra-sthaḥ: one standing on the bank
• tīra-sthaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīra (प्रातिपदिक) + stha (कृदन्त; √sthā, क्त)
• Form: समासः: तत्पुरुष (tīre sthitaḥ = standing on the bank); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masculine, nominative singular)

• yojanāt: from (a distance of) a yojana
• yojanāt: Apadana (Source/Measure)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yojana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन (ablative singular)

• arvāk: on this side; within
• arvāk: Desha-adhikarana (Spatial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: arvāk (अव्यय)
• Form: दिशावाचक-अव्यय (indeclinable: this side/within)

• daśāṃśam: a tenth part
• daśāṃśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daśa (प्रातिपदिक) + aṃśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: तत्पुरुष (daśānām aṃśaḥ = tenth part); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (accusative singular)

• labhate: obtains
• labhate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √labh (लभ् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (present indicative, 3rd person singular, middle)

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

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (to Yudhiṣṭhira) [contextual deduction across Revā Khaṇḍa dialogue]

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarva-tīrtha principle (applied here to Revā and other tīrthas)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A traveler unable to enter the water stands on the riverbank at a respectful distance, hands folded, gazing toward the sacred waters and shrine; a subtle visual motif shows ‘one-tenth’ as a smaller halo or reduced offering compared to full bathers.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even limited access to a holy place yields merit; proximity and intention matter, though the fruit scales with fuller observance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The statement is framed as a general tīrtha-principle, taught within the Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-mahātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A graded prescription: mental undertaking from afar, and a quantified result for staying on the bank within one yojana (one-tenth fruit).