Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 96

Devanagari script

दृष्टानि मुख्यतीर्थानि तथैवायतनानि च । दृष्टाश्च पर्वताः श्रेष्ठा नद्यश्च विमलोदकाः

Transliteration

dṛṣṭāni mukhyatīrthāni tathaivāyatanāni ca | dṛṣṭāśca parvatāḥ śreṣṭhā nadyaśca vimalodakāḥ

Translation

“মই মুখ্য তীৰ্থসমূহ আৰু তেনেদৰে পবিত্ৰ আয়তনসমূহ (ধাম-দেৱালয়) দৰ্শন কৰিলোঁ। মই শ্ৰেষ্ঠ পৰ্বত আৰু নিৰ্মল জলধাৰা নদীসমূহো দেখিলোঁ।”

Word by Word

• dṛṣṭāni: were seen
• dṛṣṭāni: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे (passive sense)

• mukhya-tīrthāni: principal sacred fords/pilgrimage places
• mukhya-tīrthāni: Karta (Grammatical subject of passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukhya + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (‘मुख्यानि तीर्थानि’)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक (adverb: in that manner/likewise)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण (emphasis particle)

• āyatanāni: shrines/abodes
• āyatanāni: Karta (Grammatical subject of passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āyatana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• dṛṣṭāḥ: were seen
• dṛṣṭāḥ: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• parvatāḥ: mountains
• parvatāḥ: Karta (Grammatical subject of passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parvata (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• śreṣṭhāḥ: excellent
• śreṣṭhāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• nadyaḥ: rivers
• nadyaḥ: Karta (Grammatical subject of passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nadī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• vimala-udakāḥ: having pure water
• vimala-udakāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vimala + udaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहि (‘विमलम् उदकं यस्याः’ = having pure water)

Speaker

Atithi (context from preceding verse)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇas (dvijottamāḥ)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic montage: the traveler stands before a sequence of sacred fords, temple gateways, lofty mountains, and clear-flowing rivers; the composition feels like a pilgrimage atlas.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrtha
• Āyatana (Shrines)
• Parvata (Mountains)
• Nadī (Rivers)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage encompasses not only bathing-places but also temples, mountains, and rivers—sacred geography is a complete spiritual ecosystem.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single site is specified; the verse praises the broader category of principal tīrthas and pure rivers encountered in pilgrimage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, tīrtha-darśana and reverent approach to shrines are valued, but no specific vow, bath, or donation is prescribed in this verse.