Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 79

Devanagari script

गंगायां प्राप्यते पुंसां श्राद्धेनैकेन तत्र तत् । ततस्तस्मान्महातीर्थाद्बालक्रीडनकी यथा

Transliteration

gaṃgāyāṃ prāpyate puṃsāṃ śrāddhenaikena tatra tat | tatastasmānmahātīrthādbālakrīḍanakī yathā

Translation

അதே പുണ്യം പുരുഷന്മാർക്ക് ഗംഗയിൽ അവിടെ ഒരൊറ്റ ശ്രാദ്ധം ചെയ്താൽ ലഭിക്കുന്നു. പിന്നെ ആ മഹാതീർത്ഥത്തിൽ നിന്ന് അവൾ കളിക്കുന്ന ബാലികയെപ്പോലെ മുന്നോട്ട് നീങ്ങി.

Word by Word

• गंगायाम्: in the Gaṅgā
• गंगायाम्: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन (locative)

• प्राप्यते: is obtained
• प्राप्यते: Kriyā (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive): ‘is obtained’

• पुंसाम्: of men/people
• पुंसाम्: Sambandha (Genitive: beneficiaries)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुंस्/पुम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन (genitive)

• श्राद्धेन: by (performing) śrāddha
• श्राद्धेन: Karaṇa (Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्राद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (instrumental)

• एकेन: with a single (one)
• एकेन: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुल्लिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; ‘one/single’ qualifying ‘śrāddhena’

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: स्थानवाचक-अव्यय

• तत्: that (result)
• तत्: Karma/Viṣaya (Object/That result)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; पूर्वोक्त-फलस्य निर्देशः

• ततः: then
• ततः: Kāla (Temporal)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (then/thereafter)

• तस्मात्: from that
• तस्मात्: Apādāna (Source/Comparison point)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तद्-शब्दस्य पञ्चमी-एकवचनरूपं; अव्ययीभावेन ‘from that’

• महातीर्थात्: from the great tīrtha
• महातीर्थात्: Apādāna (Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (महच्च तत् तीर्थम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन (ablative)

• बालक्रीडनकी: a child’s plaything
• बालक्रीडनकी: Upamāna (Standard of comparison)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल + क्रीडनकी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (बालस्य क्रीडनकी/बालैः क्रीड्यते इति); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपमानार्थे (as a simile-term)

• यथा: as; like
• यथा: Upamā (Simile marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमानवाचक-अव्यय (comparative particle)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced from Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa māhātmya narration style)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahātīrtha in Prabhāsa (contextual) compared to Gaṅgā

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two-panel conceptual scene: (1) a devotee performing a single śrāddha on Gaṅgā’s bank; (2) the Prabhāsa mahātīrtha where the Goddess, personified as a playful young girl, moves onward from the sacred spot.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Tīrthas differ in proclaimed potency; the Purāṇa highlights how sacred geography amplifies śrāddha merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prabhāsakṣetra is being praised by comparison with the merit obtainable at the Gaṅgā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Performance of a single śrāddha at the Gaṅgā is used as a benchmark for merit.