Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 170

Devanagari script

तीर्थस्नानैः सोपवासैर्व्रतैश्च पात्रे दानैर्होमजप्यैश्चयज्ञैः । भवार्चनैर्देवपूजाविशेषैरात्मा नित्यं शोधनीयो मलाक्तः

Transliteration

tīrthasnānaiḥ sopavāsairvrataiśca pātre dānairhomajapyaiścayajñaiḥ | bhavārcanairdevapūjāviśeṣairātmā nityaṃ śodhanīyo malāktaḥ

Translation

بالاغتسال في التيـرثات المقدّسة، وبالصيام والنذور، وبالصدقة لمن يستحق، وبالهومة (قربان النار) والجَپا (الترديد) والياجنا (القرابين)، وبعبادة بهافا (شيفا) وبأنواعٍ خاصة من عبادة الآلهة—هكذا ينبغي للنفس الملطّخة بالكدَر أن تُطهَّر يومًا بعد يوم.

Word by Word

• tīrtha-snānaiḥ: by baths at sacred places
• tīrtha-snānaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha + snāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘pilgrimage-bath’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• sa-upavāsaiḥ: with fasts
• sa-upavāsaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sa (अव्यय) + upavāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-समास (sa- ‘with’ + upavāsa), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• vrataiḥ: by vows
• vrataiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (and)

• pātre: to a worthy recipient
• pātre: Adhikaraṇa (Locative circumstance)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pātra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (Locative), एकवचन; ‘in/for a worthy recipient’ (contextual)

• dānaiḥ: by gifts
• dānaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• homa-japyaiḥ: by oblations and recitations
• homa-japyaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: homa + japya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास (homa + japya), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक (and)

• yajñaiḥ: by sacrifices
• yajñaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• bhava-arcanair: by worship of Bhava (Śiva)
• bhava-arcanair: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhava + arcana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘worship of Bhava/Śiva’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• deva-pūjā-viśeṣaiḥ: by special forms of deity-worship
• deva-pūjā-viśeṣaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva + pūjā + viśeṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (श्रृङ्खला: deva-pūjā as tatpuruṣa + viśeṣa), पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• ātmā: the self
• ātmā: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (Nominative), एकवचन

• nityam: always
• nityam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nityam (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, कालवाचक (always)

• śodhanīyaḥ: should be purified
• śodhanīyaḥ: Kriyā (Predicate; injunction)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śudh (धातु) + अनीयर्
• Form: अनीयर्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘to be purified’

• mala-āktaḥ: smeared with impurity
• mala-āktaḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mala + ākta (प्रातिपदिक; √añj + क्त)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (कर्मधारय: ‘smeared with impurity’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण of ātmā

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Generic tīrtha (not specified in verse)

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A composite devotional tableau: pilgrims bathing at a river ford; a fasting devotee with simple meal set aside; charity given to a worthy brāhmaṇa; a small homa fire; a devotee counting japa beads; and central Śiva (Bhava) worship with bilva leaves and lamp—showing daily purification as a cycle.

Characters & Entities

• Bhava (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Regular purification is achieved through tīrtha-bathing, vows, charity, mantra, sacrifice, and devoted Śiva-worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Tīrthas in general are praised; no single location is specified in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tīrtha snāna, fasting, vrata, dāna to worthy recipients, homa, japa, yajña, and Bhava/Śiva worship as means of purification.