Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

दर्शनात्पितृमेधस्य लप्स्यते मानवः फलम् । स्नानेन द्विगुणं पुण्यं तर्पणेन चतुर्गुणम्

Transliteration

darśanātpitṛmedhasya lapsyate mānavaḥ phalam | snānena dviguṇaṃ puṇyaṃ tarpaṇena caturguṇam

Translation

محض درشن سے انسان کو پِترمیَدھ یَجْیَ کا پھل ملتا ہے۔ اسنان سے پُنّیہ دوگنا، اور ترپن (آبِ نذر) سے چار گنا ہو جاتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• darśanāt: from seeing/by sight
• darśanāt: Apadana (Source/cause/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), एकवचन; अपादान-भाव: ‘from/by (the act of) seeing’

• pitṛ-medhasya: of the pitṛ-medha (ancestor rite)
• pitṛ-medhasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक) + medha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (षष्ठी): ‘पितॄणां मेधः’ = rite/sacrifice for ancestors

• lapsyate: will obtain
• lapsyate: Kriya (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √labh (लभ्)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (simple future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• mānavaḥ: a man/person
• mānavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

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

• snānena: by bathing
• snānena: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; करण

• dviguṇam: twofold
• dviguṇam: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dviguṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; ‘twofold’ (agreeing with puṇyam)

• puṇyam: merit
• puṇyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; here as result/merit

• tarpaṇena: by tarpaṇa (libation)
• tarpaṇena: Karana (Instrument/means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tarpaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; करण

• caturguṇam: fourfold
• caturguṇam: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caturguṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; ‘fourfold’ (agreeing with puṇyam, ellipsis)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Piṅgā-nadī (within Prabhāsa-kṣetra)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene riverbank at Prabhāsa: pilgrims approach the Piṅgā river; one group offers tarpaṇa with cupped hands, another bathes, while elders point to the tīrtha as equivalent to a pitṛmedha sacrifice.

Characters & Entities

• Pitṛmedha
• Darśana
• Snāna
• Tarpaṇa
• Piṅgalī/Piṅgā tīrtha (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma ranks acts by depth of engagement: seeing is auspicious, bathing deepens merit, and ancestor-offerings intensify it further.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Piṅgalī/Piṅgā river-tīrtha in Prabhāsa Kṣetra (context of the chapter).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana of the tīrtha, snāna (bathing), and tarpaṇa (libations to ancestors), with stated multipliers of merit.