Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

मोक्षार्थं नैष्ठिकैर्वर्णैर्व्रतैश्चैव तु यत्फलम् । तत्फलं समवाप्नोति भल्लुकातीर्थदर्शनात्

Transliteration

mokṣārthaṃ naiṣṭhikairvarṇairvrataiścaiva tu yatphalam | tatphalaṃ samavāpnoti bhallukātīrthadarśanāt

Translation

മോക്ഷാർത്ഥം നിഷ്ഠയോടെ വർണധർമ്മവും വ്രതങ്ങളും അനുഷ്ഠിച്ച് ലഭിക്കുന്ന ഫലം ഏതാണ്, അതേ ഫലം ഭല്ലുകാ തീർത്ഥദർശനമാത്രം കൊണ്ടുതന്നെ ലഭിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• मोक्षार्थम्: for liberation
• मोक्षार्थम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्ष + अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; चतुर्थी-तत्पुरुषः (अर्थः = प्रयोजनम्): 'मोक्षाय अर्थः' → 'for liberation' (अर्थे द्वितीया)

• नैष्ठिकैः: by steadfast (observances/people)
• नैष्ठिकैः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नैष्ठिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषण

• वर्णैः: by (prescribed) classes/varṇas; by sacred syllables (context-dependent)
• वर्णैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• व्रतैः: by vows/observances
• व्रतैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय

• तु: but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अन्वय-अव्यय

• यत्: which; whatever
• यत्: Visheshya (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• फलम्: fruit; result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम-विशेषण

• फलम्: fruit; result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• समवाप्नोति: attains; obtains fully
• समवाप्नोति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + अव + √आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• भल्लुकातीर्थदर्शनात्: from the sight/visit of Bhallukā-tīrtha
• भल्लुकातीर्थदर्शनात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भल्लुका + तीर्थ + दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; षष्ठी/सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष-भावः: 'भल्लुकातीर्थस्य दर्शनम्' → 'from seeing Bhallukā-tīrtha'

Speaker

Śiva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bhallukā Tīrtha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims behold Bhallukā Tīrtha with folded hands; an unseen scale balances severe vows on one side and simple darśana on the other, showing equality; subtle mokṣa-light rising upward.

Characters & Entities

• Bhallukā Tīrtha
• Mokṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A holy place can concentrate spiritual merit: sincere pilgrimage-darśana may grant the same liberating fruit as long disciplines and vows.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Bhallukā Tīrtha, a pilgrimage spot within Prabhāsa Kṣetra.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana (reverent visitation/seeing) of Bhallukā Tīrtha is presented as the key act yielding mokṣa-oriented merit.