Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

आगतस्तीर्थमेतद्धि प्रमोदोऽतीव मे हृदि । तीर्थानां दर्शनं धन्यमवगाहस्ततोऽधिकः

Transliteration

āgatastīrthametaddhi pramodo'tīva me hṛdi | tīrthānāṃ darśanaṃ dhanyamavagāhastato'dhikaḥ

Translation

Wahrlich, ich habe dieses heilige Tīrtha erreicht, und mein Herz ist von großer Freude erfüllt. Schon der bloße Anblick der Tīrthas ist segensreich; doch das Eintauchen und Baden darin trägt noch reichere Frucht.

Word by Word

• āgataḥ: arrived
• āgataḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ā-√gam (धातु) + āgata (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण-प्रयोगः (arrived)

• tīrtham: to the sacred ford/place of pilgrimage
• tīrtham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• etat: this
• etat: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (this)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय; हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ (indeed/for)

• pramodaḥ: joy, delight
• pramodaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pramoda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• atīva: exceedingly
• atīva: Visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atīva (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• me: of me / my
• me: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mad (अस्मद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• hṛdi: in (my) heart
• hṛdi: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hṛd (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• tīrthānām: of pilgrim-places
• tīrthānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• darśanam: seeing, दर्शन
• darśanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• dhanyam: blessed, auspicious
• dhanyam: Visheshana (Adjectival complement/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dhanya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (blessed)

• avagāhaḥ: immersion/bathing (in it)
• avagāhaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ava-√gāh (धातु) + avagāha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; स्नान/अवगाहन (immersion/bathing)

• tataḥ: than that / from that
• tataḥ: Apadana (Standard of comparison/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपादानार्थ/तुलनार्थ (from that/than that)

• adhikaḥ: greater, superior
• adhikaḥ: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: adhika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तुलनार्थ (greater)

Speaker

Phālguna (Arjuna)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim arrives at a luminous tīrtha; his face shows overflowing joy. In the foreground, he folds hands for darśana; beside him, steps descend into clear sacred waters inviting immersion.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrtha (sacred site)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is praised in degrees: seeing a holy place is auspicious, and bathing/immersing there is said to yield greater merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse refers to “this tīrtha” without naming it in the excerpt.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Avagāha (ritual immersion/bathing) at a tīrtha is extolled as especially meritorious.