Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

पृथु तीर्थं ततोप्युच्चैः श्रेयसां साधनं परम् । पृथ्वीश्वरं यत्र दृष्ट्वा नरः पृथ्वीपतिर्भवेत्

Transliteration

pṛthu tīrthaṃ tatopyuccaiḥ śreyasāṃ sādhanaṃ param | pṛthvīśvaraṃ yatra dṛṣṭvā naraḥ pṛthvīpatirbhavet

Translation

Plus élevé encore est Pṛthu Tīrtha, moyen suprême d’obtenir le bien auspiceux. En y contemplant le Seigneur de la Terre, un homme peut devenir maître de la terre.

Word by Word

• pṛthu: Pṛthu (named)/broad
• pṛthu: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pṛthu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; विशेषणम् (name/epithet)

• tīrtham: sacred place
• tīrtham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन

• tataḥ: thereafter/from that
• tataḥ: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-अर्थे (thereafter/from that)

• api: also/even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (also/even)

• uccaiḥ: highly/exceedingly
• uccaiḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: uccaiḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: highly/exceedingly)

• śreyasām: of benefits/auspicious goods
• śreyasām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śreyas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी बहुवचन (Gen pl)

• sādhanam: means/instrument
• sādhanam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sādhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन

• param: supreme
• param: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• pṛthvī-īśvaram: the lord of the earth (king)
• pṛthvī-īśvaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pṛthvī (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया एकवचन (Acc sg); तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: "पृथिव्याः ईश्वरः")

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (where)

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Kriya (Non-finite/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (दृश्) त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: अव्ययकृदन्त (क्त्वान्त); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (gerund): "having seen"

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

• pṛthvī-patiḥ: lord of the earth/king
• pṛthvī-patiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pṛthvī (प्रातिपदिक) + pati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: "पृथिव्याः पतिः")

• bhavet: would become
• bhavet: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (भू)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative); प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśī Khaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pṛthu-tīrtha

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a Kashi tīrtha, a devotee beholds ‘Pṛthvīśvara’—a Śiva-liṅga or earth-lord icon—while the Earth goddess motif appears as a fertile landscape; King Pṛthu is shown as an exemplar with bow and royal insignia, but in humility.

Characters & Entities

• Pṛthu Tīrtha
• Pṛthvīśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Darśana at a sanctified place is presented as a potent dharmic catalyst, granting both spiritual welfare and worldly stewardship when aligned with merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Pṛthu Tīrtha, associated with the vision of Pṛthvīśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana (seeing/visiting) of Pṛthvīśvara at the tīrtha; bathing is not explicitly stated in this verse.