Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

पञ्चमं सर्वतीर्थेषु कल्पनीयं हि दूरतः । तीरस्थो योजनादर्वाग्दशांशं लभते फलम्

Transliteration

pañcamaṃ sarvatīrtheṣu kalpanīyaṃ hi dūrataḥ | tīrastho yojanādarvāgdaśāṃśaṃ labhate phalam

Translation

پانچواں (درجۂ ثواب) سب تیرتھوں میں دور سے بھی تصور کیا جا سکتا ہے۔ جو کنارے پر، ایک یوجن کے اندر رہتا ہے، وہ پھل کا دسواں حصہ پاتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• pañcamam: the fifth (benefit)
• pañcamam: Karma/Pratijna (Object/Topic)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pañcama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter nom/acc sg; 'the fifth (benefit)')

• sarva-tīrtheṣu: in all tīrthas
• sarva-tīrtheṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: तत्पुरुष (sarveṣu tīrtheṣu = in all sacred places); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन (locative plural)

• kalpanīyam: to be conceived/assumed
• kalpanīyam: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √kḷp (कॢप् धातु)
• Form: णीयत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive/future passive participle: 'to be supposed/arranged'); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (agreeing with pañcamam)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/हेतुवाचक-निपात (particle: indeed/for)

• dūrataḥ: from a distance
• dūrataḥ: Apadana/Desha (Source/Place)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dūra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb: 'from afar')

• tīra-sthaḥ: one standing on the bank
• tīra-sthaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīra (प्रातिपदिक) + stha (कृदन्त; √sthā, क्त)
• Form: समासः: तत्पुरुष (tīre sthitaḥ = standing on the bank); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masculine, nominative singular)

• yojanāt: from (a distance of) a yojana
• yojanāt: Apadana (Source/Measure)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yojana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन (ablative singular)

• arvāk: on this side; within
• arvāk: Desha-adhikarana (Spatial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: arvāk (अव्यय)
• Form: दिशावाचक-अव्यय (indeclinable: this side/within)

• daśāṃśam: a tenth part
• daśāṃśam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: daśa (प्रातिपदिक) + aṃśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः: तत्पुरुष (daśānām aṃśaḥ = tenth part); पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (accusative singular)

• labhate: obtains
• labhate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √labh (लभ् धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (present indicative, 3rd person singular, middle)

• phalam: fruit/result
• phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter, accusative singular)

Speaker

Mārkaṇḍeya (to Yudhiṣṭhira) [contextual deduction across Revā Khaṇḍa dialogue]

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarva-tīrtha principle (applied here to Revā and other tīrthas)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A traveler unable to enter the water stands on the riverbank at a respectful distance, hands folded, gazing toward the sacred waters and shrine; a subtle visual motif shows ‘one-tenth’ as a smaller halo or reduced offering compared to full bathers.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even limited access to a holy place yields merit; proximity and intention matter, though the fruit scales with fuller observance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The statement is framed as a general tīrtha-principle, taught within the Revā (Narmadā) tīrtha-mahātmya setting.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A graded prescription: mental undertaking from afar, and a quantified result for staying on the bank within one yojana (one-tenth fruit).