Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

तं दृष्ट्वा तु वरारोहे गंगास्नानफलं लभेत् । अश्वमेधसहस्रस्य फलं प्राप्नोति मानवः

Transliteration

taṃ dṛṣṭvā tu varārohe gaṃgāsnānaphalaṃ labhet | aśvamedhasahasrasya phalaṃ prāpnoti mānavaḥ

Translation

اے نازک اندام خاتون! محض اُس کے درشن سے گنگا اسنان کا پھل ملتا ہے؛ اور انسان کو ہزار اشومیدھ یگیوں کے برابر پُنّیہ حاصل ہوتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• tam: him/that (liṅga)
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धा॒तु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund) = ‘having seen’

• tu: indeed / but
• tu: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निपात/particle) = emphasis/contrast ‘indeed/but’

• varārohe: O fair-hipped lady
• varārohe: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: varārohā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन; समासः कर्मधारयः (varā + ārohā) = ‘O fair-hipped one’

• gaṅgā-snāna-phalam: the merit of bathing in the Gaṅgā
• gaṅgā-snāna-phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṅgā (प्रातिपदिक) + snāna (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः = ‘the fruit of bathing in the Gaṅgā’

• labhet: would obtain
• labhet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धा॒तु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्; सामान्यकर्ता (one) implied

• aśvamedha-sahasrasya: of a thousand Aśvamedhas
• aśvamedha-sahasrasya: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśvamedha (प्रातिपदिक) + sahasra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः = ‘of a thousand Aśvamedha (sacrifices)’

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

• prāpnoti: attains
• prāpnoti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prā + āp (धा॒तु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

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

Speaker

Śiva (deduced; addressing Devī as varārohā)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgeśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim (or a group) stands before the Gaṅgeśvara-liṅga; the liṅga radiates sanctity as if Gaṅgā’s waters and the fire of a thousand Aśvamedhas are symbolically present; offerings, lamps, and a sense of miraculous merit fill the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Aśvamedha
• Gaṅgeśvara (implied by context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere darśana of a sanctified liṅga in a great tīrtha can bestow immense merit, comparable to major Vedic sacrifices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgeśvara in Prabhāsa Kṣetra, whose darśana is praised as supremely merit-giving.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana (reverent viewing/visitation) is emphasized; the merit is compared to Gaṅgā-snān and Aśvamedha performance.