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

仅以达尔善那（darśana，圣观）一见，便得如行“祖祭 Pitṛmedha”之果；若沐浴，功德加倍；若行塔尔帕那（tarpaṇa，向祖先奠水），功德增至四倍。

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.