Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 76

Devanagari script

विष्णुतीर्थे हिरण्यं च पितॄणां मोक्षमिच्छुकः । विनाक्षतैर्विना दर्भैर्विना चासनमेव च । वारिमात्राल्लोहयष्ट्यां गयाश्राद्धफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

viṣṇutīrthe hiraṇyaṃ ca pitṝṇāṃ mokṣamicchukaḥ | vinākṣatairvinā darbhairvinā cāsanameva ca | vārimātrāllohayaṣṭyāṃ gayāśrāddhaphalaṃ labhet

Translation

പിതൃമോക്ഷം ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നവൻ വിഷ്ണുതീർത്ഥത്തിൽ സ്വർണ്ണദാനം ചെയ്യണം. ലോഹയഷ്ടിയിൽ എന്നാൽ ജലമാത്രം കൊണ്ടുതന്നെ—അക്ഷതം, ദർഭം, ആസനം എന്നിവ ഇല്ലാതെയും—ഗയാശ്രാദ്ധഫലം ലഭിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• विष्णुतीर्थे: at Viṣṇu’s sacred ford (Viṣṇutīrtha)
• विष्णुतीर्थे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विष्णु-तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक; विष्णोः तीर्थम्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; Locative singular (place)

• हिरण्यम्: gold
• हिरण्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हिरण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात; conjunction ‘and’

• पितॄणाम्: of the ancestors (pitṛs)
• पितॄणाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Possessive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Genitive plural

• मोक्षम्: liberation
• मोक्षम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• इच्छुकः: desirous (of)
• इच्छुकः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इच्छुक (प्रातिपदिक; इच्छ् धातु-सम्बद्ध)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular; विशेषण (कर्ता-वाचक)

• विना: without
• विना: Apadana (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: अपादानार्थक-उपपद; ‘without’ (governs instrumental)

• अक्षतैः: with unbroken rice grains
• अक्षतैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अक्षत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Instrumental plural

• विना: without
• विना: Apadana (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: अपादानार्थक-उपपद; ‘without’

• दर्भैः: with darbha grass
• दर्भैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्भ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Instrumental plural

• विना: without
• विना: Apadana (Separation/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: अपादानार्थक-उपपद; ‘without’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात; conjunction

• आसनम्: a seat
• आसनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आसन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• एव: indeed/just
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-निपात; emphatic ‘indeed/just’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात; conjunction

• वारिमात्रात्: from merely (a little) water
• वारिमात्रात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वारि-मात्र (प्रातिपदिक; वारि + मात्रा)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Ablative singular; ‘from/with only water-measure’

• लोहयष्ट्याम्: on/with an iron staff (rod)
• लोहयष्ट्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोह-यष्टि (प्रातिपदिक; लोहमयी यष्टिः)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Locative singular

• गयाश्राद्धफलम्: the fruit of the Gayā-śrāddha
• गयाश्राद्धफलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गया-श्राद्ध-फल (प्रातिपदिक; गयायां श्राद्धस्य फलम्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• लभेत्: should obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘should obtain’

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viṣṇu-tīrtha; Lohayaṣṭī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇas/ṛṣis in Naimiṣāraṇya frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at a forested tīrtha: at Viṣṇu-tīrtha he offers gold with folded hands; at Lohayaṣṭī he pours a small stream of water as tarpaṇa, with no rice balls, no darbha, no seat—yet the place glows with sanctity, suggesting Gayā’s merit.

Characters & Entities

• Viṣṇu-tīrtha
• Hiraṇya (gold)
• Pitṛ-mokṣa
• Lohayaṣṭī
• Gayā
• Śrāddha
• Akṣata
• Darbha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A supremely sanctified tīrtha can confer great results even with minimal ritual, when done with faith and right intent.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Lohayaṣṭī (Loha-yaṣṭī tīrtha), with connected observances at Viṣṇu-tīrtha; its merit is compared to Gayā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Donate gold at Viṣṇu-tīrtha; at Lohayaṣṭī, even water-only offerings (without akṣata, darbha, or āsana) yield Gayā-śrāddha fruit.