Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

निष्कामा स्वर्गमाप्नोति दुष्प्राप्यं त्रिदशैरपि । तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन यात्रां तस्य समाचरेत्

Transliteration

niṣkāmā svargamāpnoti duṣprāpyaṃ tridaśairapi | tasmātsarvaprayatnena yātrāṃ tasya samācaret

Translation

നിഷ്കാമൻ ദേവന്മാർക്കും ദുഷ്പ്രാപ്യമായ സ്വർഗ്ഗം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു; അതിനാൽ സർവ്വശ്രമത്തോടും കൂടി ആ തീർത്ഥയാത്ര ആചരിക്കണം।

Word by Word

• निष्कामा: desireless (woman/person)
• निष्कामा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निः (उपसर्ग/निपात) + काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नञ्/निः-पूर्वक तत्पुरुषः (desireless)

• स्वर्गम्: heaven
• स्वर्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• आप्नोति: attains
• आप्नोति: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• दुष्प्राप्यम्: hard to obtain
• दुष्प्राप्यम्: Visheshana (Adjective of svargam)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुस् (उपसर्ग) + प्राप्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक, √आप्/प्राप्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-भावः; कृदन्त (प्राप्य = obtainable) + दुस् (hard to)

• त्रिदशैः: by the gods (thirty-three)
• त्रिदशैः: Karana (Instrument/means तुलना)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिदश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha/Emphasis (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपि = even/also (particle)

• तस्मात्: therefore
• तस्मात्: Hetu (Reason)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात् इति तद्धित-निपातवत्; हेत्वर्थे अपादान-भावः (ablatival adverb: therefore/from that reason)

• सर्वप्रयत्नेन: with all effort
• सर्वप्रयत्नेन: Karana (Instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (सर्वः प्रयत्नः = all effort)

• यात्राम्: pilgrimage; journey
• यात्राम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यात्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तस्य: of that (place); its
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन

• समाचरेत्: should undertake; should perform
• समाचरेत्: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आ + चर् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Pulastya (deduced from immediate narrative context continuing into Adhyāya 6:1)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim renunciant-like figure, calm and unadorned, walking toward a sacred mountain tīrtha with minimal possessions; a subtle celestial vista suggests the ‘rare heaven’ promised.

Characters & Entities

• Tridaśa (devas)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage and merit bear the highest fruit when pursued without selfish desire.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The same tīrtha praised in Arbuda Khaṇḍa; the verse explicitly urges undertaking its yātrā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Yātrā—undertaking pilgrimage to the tīrtha (with wholehearted effort).