Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

अर्द्धकोशं तु तत्तीर्थं तदर्द्धार्द्धं तु दुर्ल्लभम् । तन्मध्ये श्राद्धकृत्पुण्यं गयासप्तगुणं लभेत्

Transliteration

arddhakośaṃ tu tattīrthaṃ tadarddhārddhaṃ tu durllabham | tanmadhye śrāddhakṛtpuṇyaṃ gayāsaptaguṇaṃ labhet

Translation

ആ തീർത്ഥം അർദ്ധ ക്രോശം വരെ വ്യാപിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു; എന്നാൽ അതിന്റെ അന്തർഭാഗത്തിലെ ചതുർത്ഥാംശം എത്തുക ദുർലഭം. അതിന്റെ മദ്ധ്യത്തിൽ ശ്രാദ്ധം ചെയ്താൽ ഗയയിൽ ലഭിക്കുന്ന പുണ്യത്തിന്റെ ഏഴുമടങ്ങ് പുണ്യം ലഭിക്കും.

Word by Word

• अर्द्ध-कोशम्: half a krośa (distance)
• अर्द्ध-कोशम्: Pramana (Measure/extent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्द्ध + कोश (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (अर्द्धः कोशः = half a krośa)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषार्थक अव्यय (but/indeed)

• तत्-तीर्थम्: that tīrtha
• तत्-तीर्थम्: Topic (Thing described)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘तत्’ इति निर्देशः (that very tīrtha)

• तत्-अर्द्ध-अर्द्धम्: half of that half (a quarter)
• तत्-अर्द्ध-अर्द्धम्: Pramana (Measure/extent)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम) + अर्द्ध + अर्द्ध (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘तस्य अर्द्धस्य अर्द्धम्’ (quarter)

• तु: indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विशेषार्थक अव्यय

• दुर्लभम्: rare
• दुर्लभम्: Visheshana (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्लभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तत्-मध्ये: in the midst of that
• तत्-मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम) + मध्य (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘तस्य मध्ये’

• श्राद्ध-कृत्-पुण्यम्: the merit of one who performs śrāddha
• श्राद्ध-कृत्-पुण्यम्: Karma/Phala (Result)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध + कृत् (कृ धातु + कृत्) + पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘श्राद्धं करोति’ इति श्राद्धकृत् (कर्ता-नाम), तस्य पुण्यम्

• गया-सप्त-गुणम्: sevenfold (compared to) Gayā
• गया-सप्त-गुणम्: Visheshana (Qualifier of merit)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गया + सप्त + गुण (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘गयायाः सप्तगुणम्’ (sevenfold of Gayā)

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prabhāsa tīrtha (madhya-bhāga)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A map-like sacred mandala of Prabhāsa is implied: an outer half-krośa circle and a glowing inner quarter; in the center, a śrāddha rite is performed, with Gayā symbolically shown as a smaller comparator.

Characters & Entities

• Goṣpada (tīrtha)
• Gayā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Certain sacred cores within a tīrtha are exceptionally potent, especially for ancestor rites, surpassing even famed śrāddha sites.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Goṣpada-tīrtha in Prabhāsa is praised, with comparison to Gayā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performing śrāddha in the central/innermost area of the tīrtha for multiplied merit.