Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

वचनं कर्मसंयुक्तं सर्वेषां फलदायकम् । सर्वतीर्थानि यज्ञाश्च दानानि विविधानि च । कार्याणि मनःशुद्ध्यर्थं नात्र कार्या विचारणा

Transliteration

vacanaṃ karmasaṃyuktaṃ sarveṣāṃ phaladāyakam | sarvatīrthāni yajñāśca dānāni vividhāni ca | kāryāṇi manaḥśuddhyarthaṃ nātra kāryā vicāraṇā

Translation

Worte, mit rechtem Handeln verbunden, werden für alle fruchtbringend. Alle Tīrthas, Opferhandlungen und vielfältigen Gaben sind zur Läuterung des Geistes zu vollziehen—daran ist nicht zu zweifeln.

Word by Word

• vacanam: speech; utterance
• vacanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vacana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; भाववाचक-नाम

• karma-saṃyuktam: connected with action (karma)
• karma-saṃyuktam: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: karma (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃyukta (कृदन्त; √yuj (धातु) + सम् उपसर्ग, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण—vacanam इति पदस्य

• sarveṣām: of all
• sarveṣām: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धे (of all)

• phala-dāyakam: fruit-giving; bestowing results
• phala-dāyakam: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: phala (प्रातिपदिक) + dāyaka (प्रातिपदिक; √dā (धातु) + ण्वुल्/क)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण—vacanam इति पदस्य

• sarva-tīrthāni: all sacred places/pilgrimages
• sarva-tīrthāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• yajñāḥ: sacrifices; rituals
• yajñāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yajña (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Coordinator/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• dānāni: gifts; donations
• dānāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• vividhāni: various; diverse
• vividhāni: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vividha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण—dānāni इति पदस्य

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Coordinator/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• kāryāṇi: things to be done; duties
• kāryāṇi: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kārya (प्रातिपदिक; √kṛ (धातु) + यत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विधेय (things to be done)

• manaḥ-śuddhi-artham: for (the) purification of the mind
• manaḥ-śuddhi-artham: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: manas (प्रातिपदिक) + śuddhi (प्रातिपदिक) + artha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; प्रयोजनार्थे (for the purpose of)

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

• atra: here; in this matter
• atra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• kāryā: (any) consideration is to be done
• kāryā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kārya (प्रातिपदिक; √kṛ (धातु) + यत्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय—(विचारणा)

• vicāraṇā: deliberation; inquiry
• vicāraṇā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vicāraṇā (प्रातिपदिक; √car (धातु) + वि उपसर्ग, ल्युट्/णा)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Unspecified (within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context: Lomaharṣaṇa/Sūta-style purāṇic instruction)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra / Kedāranātha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: a seeker/pilgrim audience (yātrika/śiṣya)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Himalayan Kedāra setting: pilgrims offering dāna, performing homa, and taking vows; a sage instructs that all acts aim at manah-śuddhi, with Śiva’s presence implied as inner witness.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrthas
• Yajñas
• Dāna

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dharma practices—pilgrimage, sacrifice, and charity—are validated chiefly as disciplines for purifying the mind, making spiritual insight possible.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse praises tīrthas in general; within Kedārakhaṇḍa, it supports the merit-framework that elevates Kedāra and allied Himalayan tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform tīrtha-visits, yajñas, and various dānas with the aim of manaḥ-śuddhi (purification of mind).