Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 18

Devanagari script

इष्टं मखैः कृतं दानं दत्तं पिंडं गयाशिरे । स्नातं नित्यं प्रयागे तु यैः कृतं जागरं हरेः

Transliteration

iṣṭaṃ makhaiḥ kṛtaṃ dānaṃ dattaṃ piṃḍaṃ gayāśire | snātaṃ nityaṃ prayāge tu yaiḥ kṛtaṃ jāgaraṃ hareḥ

Translation

凡行哈利守夜者，等同于已行诸祭祀、已作布施、已在伽耶顶（Gayāśiras）献上团食（piṇḍa），并如同日日在普罗耶伽（Prayāga）沐浴。

Word by Word

• इष्टम्: sacrifice performed
• इष्टम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इष्ट (कृदन्त; √यज् यागे, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त—‘sacrifice performed’ (यज्ञकर्म)

• मखैः: by sacrifices (rites)
• मखैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; करण

• कृतम्: done
• कृतम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (कृदन्त; √कृ करणे)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘done’ (with implied items)

• दानम्: gift, charity
• दानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्म

• दत्तम्: given
• दत्तम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दत्त (कृदन्त; √दा दाने, क्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘given’

• पिण्डम्: piṇḍa offering (funeral oblation)
• पिण्डम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिण्ड (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्म

• गया-शिरे: at Gaya-śiras (in Gaya)
• गया-शिरे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गया (प्रातिपदिक) + शिरस्/शिर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘गयायाः शिरः’ (Gaya-śiras, sacred spot); अधिकरण

• स्नातम्: bathing performed
• स्नातम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नात (कृदन्त; √स्ना स्नाने, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त—‘bathing done’

• नित्यम्: always, regularly
• नित्यम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक/अव्ययीभावे अव्ययवत्)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• प्रयागे: at Prayāga
• प्रयागे: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; अधिकरण

• तु: indeed / but
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/विरोधसूचक-निपात (particle: but/indeed)

• यैः: by whom
• यैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; करण/हेतु

• कृतम्: performed
• कृतम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृत (कृदन्त; √कृ करणे)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘performed’

• जागरम्: vigil
• जागरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; कर्म

• हरेः: of Hari
• हरेः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हरि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (Kārttikeya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dvārakā (with comparative tīrthas: Gayāśiras, Prayāga)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Skanda (Ṣaḍānana)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A symbolic montage: a devotee keeping vigil before Hari; around him appear visionary vignettes—fire-sacrifice altar (yajña), gifts being given (dāna), priests at Gayāśiras receiving piṇḍa, and pilgrims bathing at Prayāga’s confluence—showing all merits converging into the single act of jāgaraṇa.

Characters & Entities

• Hari
• Gayāśiras (Gayā)
• Prayāga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A single act of concentrated devotion—Hari’s vigil—is praised as equivalent to multiple high-merit rites across famed tīrthas and Vedic sacrifices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gayāśiras (Gayā) and Prayāga are explicitly invoked, within the overarching Dvārakā Māhātmya context.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Harijāgaraṇa is presented as conferring the fruits of yajña (sacrifice), dāna (charity), piṇḍa-dāna at Gayā, and snāna at Prayāga.