Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ऋषय ऊचुः । श्रुतानि मुख्यतीर्थानि तत्क्षेत्रप्रोद्भवानि च । येषु स्नातो नरः स्म्यक्सर्व तीर्थफलं लभेत्

Transliteration

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | śrutāni mukhyatīrthāni tatkṣetraprodbhavāni ca | yeṣu snāto naraḥ smyaksarva tīrthaphalaṃ labhet

Translation

Die Weisen sprachen: Wir haben von den wichtigsten Tīrthas gehört, den heiligen Badeplätzen, die in jenem geweihten Gebiet entstanden sind; wer dort nach rechter Vorschrift badet, erlangt das Verdienst aller Tīrthas.

Word by Word

• ṛṣayaḥ: sages
• ṛṣayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), बहुवचन

• ūcuḥ: said
• ūcuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/परोक्सभूत), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• śrutāni: heard
• śrutāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śruta (कृदन्त; √śru श्रु (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle: 'heard')

• mukhyatīrthāni: principal sacred fords (tīrthas)
• mukhyatīrthāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukhya-tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक; मुख्य + तीर्थ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• tatkṣetraprodbhavāni: arising from that kṣetra
• tatkṣetraprodbhavāni: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: tat-kṣetra-prodbhava (प्रातिपदिक; तत् + क्षेत्र + प्रोद्भव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक (arising from that sacred region)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• yeṣu: in which
• yeṣu: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक; सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धक (in which)

• snātaḥ: having bathed
• snātaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: snāta (कृदन्त; √snā स्ना (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (having bathed)

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• smyak: properly
• smyak: Kriya-viśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samyak (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: properly)

• sarva: all
• sarva: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; तीर्थफलम् इति विशेषण (qualifying 'fruit')

• tīrthaphalam: the fruit of (all) tīrthas
• tīrthaphalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha-phala (प्रातिपदिक; तीर्थ + फल)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• labhet: would obtain
• labhet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: labh (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/संभावना), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

Speaker

Ṛṣis (Sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Principal tīrthas within the kṣetra (to be enumerated in the ensuing chapter)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A group of sages seated in a forest-āśrama asking about the region’s chief tīrthas; in the background, a stylized map-like panorama of multiple ghāṭas, kuṇḍas, and shrines within one kṣetra.

Characters & Entities

• Ṛṣis
• Tīrtha
• Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (implied by context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is framed as concentrated sacred merit: certain tīrthas are said to confer the fruit of many through proper bathing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The sages refer to the tīrthas arising within the same kṣetra under discussion (Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra in this section’s frame).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) performed ‘samyak’ (properly) in the chief tīrthas.