Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

तीर्थान्येव हि सर्वाणि पुनरावर्त्तकानि तु । अक्षयांल्लभते लोकांस्तत्तीर्थं कथयामि ते

Transliteration

tīrthānyeva hi sarvāṇi punarāvarttakāni tu | akṣayāṃllabhate lokāṃstattīrthaṃ kathayāmi te

Translation

മറ്റെല്ലാ തീർത്ഥങ്ങളും വീണ്ടും മടങ്ങിവരേണ്ട ഫലങ്ങളാണ് നൽകുന്നത്; എന്നാൽ ആ തീർത്ഥം അക്ഷയ ലോകങ്ങൾ പ്രദാനം ചെയ്യുന്നു. ആ തീർത്ഥം ഞാൻ നിന്നോട് പറയുന്നു।

Word by Word

• तीर्थानि: pilgrimage places
• तीर्थानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचनम्

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Avyaya (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्ययम् (emphatic particle)

• हि: for/indeed
• हि: Avyaya (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतौ/निश्चये अव्ययम् (particle: for/indeed)

• सर्वाणि: all
• सर्वाणि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• पुनरावर्तकानि: causing return (again)
• पुनरावर्तकानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुनर् (अव्यय) + आवर्तक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमासः; नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• तु: but/however
• तु: Avyaya (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/अन्वयार्थक-अव्ययम् (but/indeed)

• अक्षयान्: imperishable
• अक्षयान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अक्षय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• लभते: obtains
• लभते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present/लट्), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्

• लोकान्: worlds/realms
• लोकान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (2nd/द्वितीया), बहुवचनम्

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचनम्; विशेषणम्

• तीर्थम्: pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचनम्

• कथयामि: I tell/describe
• कथयामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present/लट्), परस्मैपदम्, उत्तमपुरुषः (1st person), एकवचनम्

• ते: to you
• ते: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, चतुर्थीविभक्तिः (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचनम्

Speaker

Bhadra

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vastrāpatha-tīrtha (within Vastrāpatha-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: king (nara-ṛṣabha)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The narrator emphasizes the uniqueness of a particular tīrtha: a symbolic contrast between many ordinary pilgrimage sites and one radiant ‘akṣaya’ tīrtha, depicted as a luminous shrine/ford with celestial light.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrtha
• Akṣaya-loka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Not all pilgrimage fruits are equal; some are temporary, while a supreme tīrtha grants imperishable attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A particular ‘imperishable-fruit’ tīrtha within the Vastrāpathakṣetra Māhātmya is being singled out (identified in the next verse).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pilgrimage/serving (sevana) of the designated supreme tīrtha is implied as the means to akṣaya-lokas.