Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 158

Devanagari script

अथवा तीर्थगमनं वेदाध्ययनमेव च । देवतार्चनयज्ञादिश्रेयांसि विविधानि च

Transliteration

athavā tīrthagamanaṃ vedādhyayanameva ca | devatārcanayajñādiśreyāṃsi vividhāni ca

Translation

Ou encore : le pèlerinage vers les tīrthas sacrés, l’étude des Veda, le culte rendu aux divinités, les sacrifices (yajña) et d’autres mérites variés.

Word by Word

• अथवा: or else
• अथवा: Sambandha (Disjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथवा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्पार्थक निपात (disjunctive)

• तीर्थगमनम्: pilgrimage (going to a sacred place)
• तीर्थगमनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + गमन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (तीर्थस्य गमनम्)

• वेदाध्ययनम्: study of the Veda
• वेदाध्ययनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक) + अध्ययन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (वेदस्य अध्ययनम्)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक निपात (emphasis)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• देवतार्चनयज्ञादिश्रेयांसि: meritorious acts such as worship of deities and sacrifices
• देवतार्चनयज्ञादिश्रेयांसि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवता (प्रातिपदिक) + अर्चन (प्रातिपदिक) + यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + श्रेयस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; समाहार/समुच्चयार्थे बहुपद-तत्पुरुष (देवतार्चनं यज्ञः आदयः येषां तानि श्रेयांसि)

• विविधानि: various
• विविधानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विविध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण (qualifying श्रेयांसि)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A montage-like tableau: pilgrims walking with staffs to a river-ford, a student reciting Veda before a guru, devotees offering flowers and lamps to a deity, and a yajña with fire and priests—arranged as four panels around a central dharma-wheel.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrtha
• Veda
• Devatā
• Yajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It catalogs classical sources of merit—pilgrimage, Vedic learning, worship, and sacrifice—preparing for a comparison of their fruits.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse mentions tīrtha-gamana generally; within Kedārakhaṇḍa the implied sacred geography is the Kedāra tīrtha-region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

General prescriptions are listed: pilgrimage (tīrtha-gamana), Veda study (vedādhyayana), deity worship (devatārcana), and sacrifice (yajña).