Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

तीर्थानां दर्शनं श्रेयः स्पर्शनं स्नानमेव च । कीर्तनं स्मरणं चापि न स्यात्पुण्यं विना परम्

Transliteration

tīrthānāṃ darśanaṃ śreyaḥ sparśanaṃ snānameva ca | kīrtanaṃ smaraṇaṃ cāpi na syātpuṇyaṃ vinā param

Translation

In Bezug auf die Tīrthas ist segensreich: sie zu sehen, sie zu berühren und in ihnen zu baden; ja selbst sie zu preisen und ihrer zu gedenken — nichts davon geschieht ohne höchstes Verdienst (Puṇya).

Word by Word

• तीर्थानाम्: of tīrthas
• तीर्थानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

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

• श्रेयः: is beneficial, best
• श्रेयः: Kriya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/विधेय), एकवचन; विधेयविशेषणम् (predicate adjective)

• स्पर्शनम्: touching
• स्पर्शनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्पर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• स्नानम्: bathing
• स्नानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (particle of emphasis: indeed/only)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• कीर्तनम्: praising, recitation
• कीर्तनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कीर्तन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• स्मरणम्: remembering
• स्मरणम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्मरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (also/even)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• स्यात्: would be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• विना: without
• विना: Sambandha (Exclusion/वर्जन)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: उपपद-अव्यय (preposition-like indeclinable: without)

• परम्: the highest (thing)
• परम्: Karma (Object of 'without'/उपपदकर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म) एकवचन; उपपद-विना-योगे (object of विना)

Speaker

Brahmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Tīrtha (generic; all sacred fords)

Type: tirtha

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic tableau: five panels or a single composition showing a pilgrim seeing a tīrtha, touching its waters, bathing, singing its praise, and meditating upon it—each radiating merit.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrthas
• Puṇya
• Darśana
• Sparśa
• Snāna
• Kīrtana
• Smaraṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Contact with sacred places—by body, speech, or mind—inevitably yields puṇya and elevates one’s spiritual life.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching is general, applying to all tīrthas as a category within Purāṇic sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana (seeing), sparśana (touching), snāna (bathing), kīrtana (praising), and smaraṇa (remembering) are enumerated as meritorious practices.