Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 67

Devanagari script

साधूनां दर्शनं पुण्यं तीर्थभूता हि साधवः । तीर्थं फलति कालेन सद्यः साधुसमागमः

Transliteration

sādhūnāṃ darśanaṃ puṇyaṃ tīrthabhūtā hi sādhavaḥ | tīrthaṃ phalati kālena sadyaḥ sādhusamāgamaḥ

Translation

Schon der Anblick der Heiligen ist verdienstvoll, denn die Rechtschaffenen selbst sind lebendige Tīrthas. Ein Pilgerort trägt Frucht mit der Zeit, doch die Begegnung mit Sādhus trägt sofort Frucht.

Word by Word

• साधूनाम्: of the virtuous
• साधूनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साधु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

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

• पुण्यम्: meritorious, holy
• पुण्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (predicate adjective)

• तीर्थभूताः: become (like) a pilgrimage
• तीर्थभूताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीर्थ + भूत (प्रातिपदिक; ‘भूत’ from भू धातु, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘तीर्थरूपेण भूताः’

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

• साधवः: the virtuous (people)
• साधवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साधु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• तीर्थम्: a pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• फलति: bears fruit
• फलति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: फल् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• कालेन: with time, in due course
• कालेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; काल-करणे (with time)

• सद्यः: immediately
• सद्यः: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सद्यः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb of time)

• साधुसमागमः: meeting with the virtuous
• साधुसमागमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साधु + समागम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘साधूनां समागमः’

Speaker

Unspecified didactic voice within the Tīrthamāhātmya (teaching on sādhu-mahima)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous moment of recognition: the sages appear as living tīrthas, radiating sanctity; the pilgrim’s meeting is portrayed as instantly fruit-bearing compared to distant rivers/ghats.

Characters & Entities

• sādhu
• tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Saintly association is portrayed as the most immediate purifier—sādhus embody tīrtha-power, granting swift spiritual fruit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse universalizes tīrtha-mahima: beyond any single site, it declares sādhus themselves to be tīrtha in embodied form.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sādhu-darśana and sādhu-saṅga (seeking the company of the holy) is recommended as a direct spiritual practice.