Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

गंगादिपुण्यतीर्थेषु यत्फलं प्राप्यते नरैः । तत्फलं समवाप्नोति तीर्थस्यास्यावगाहनात्

Transliteration

gaṃgādipuṇyatīrtheṣu yatphalaṃ prāpyate naraiḥ | tatphalaṃ samavāpnoti tīrthasyāsyāvagāhanāt

Translation

ผลบุญใดที่มนุษย์ได้ ณ ตีรถะอันศักดิ์สิทธิ์เริ่มด้วยคงคา ผลนั้นเองย่อมบังเกิดแก่ผู้ลงอาบในตีรถะแห่งนี้

Word by Word

• gaṅgādipuṇyatīrtheṣu: in holy tīrthas like the Gaṅgā
• gaṅgādipuṇyatīrtheṣu: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṅgā-ādi-puṇya-tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक; गङ्गा + आदि + पुण्य + तीर्थ)
• Form: बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (gaṅgā-ādi = ‘beginning with Gaṅgā’ as qualifier; puṇya-tīrtha = ‘holy ford’); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), बहुवचन

• yat: whatever; that which
• yat: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• phalam: fruit; result
• phalam: Karma (Object/Result/कर्म-फल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन

• prāpyate: is obtained
• prāpyate: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√āp (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• naraiḥ: by men
• naraiḥ: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन (instr pl)

• tat: that
• tat: Sambandha (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; तद्-निर्देशक (correlative)

• phalam: fruit; result
• phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन (acc sg)

• samavāpnoti: attains fully
• samavāpnoti: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ava√āp (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tīrthasya: of the tīrtha
• tīrthasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन (gen sg)

• asya: of this
• asya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), एकवचन (gen sg)

• avagāhanāt: from bathing/immersing (in it)
• avagāhanāt: Hetu (Cause/Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ava√gāh (धातु) + ana (प्रत्यय) → avagāhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त-भाववाचक (action noun); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन (abl sg)

Speaker

Nārada

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mokṣeśvara/Brahmeśa-associated tīrtha (implied)

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims descend steps into a clear tīrtha-waterbody; above the water, faint divine emblems of Gaṅgā and other rivers appear, signifying equal sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Nārada
• Gaṅgā
• Puṇya-tīrthas
• Brahmeśa tīrtha (this tīrtha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A divinely empowered local tīrtha can confer the same spiritual fruit as renowned pan-Indian sacred rivers when approached with faith.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

“This tīrtha” refers to the Brahmeśa/Brahmasaras tīrtha described in the adhyāya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Avagāhana—ritual immersion/bathing in the tīrtha—is prescribed as the means to obtain the stated fruit.