Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

माता तीर्थं पिता तीर्थं तीर्थ साधुसमागमः । धर्मानुचिंतनं चैव तथैव नियमो यमः

Transliteration

mātā tīrthaṃ pitā tīrthaṃ tīrtha sādhusamāgamaḥ | dharmānuciṃtanaṃ caiva tathaiva niyamo yamaḥ

Translation

La mère est un tīrtha ; le père est un tīrtha ; la rencontre des sādhus est un tīrtha. De même, la méditation sur le dharma, et pareillement la retenue et l’observance—yama et niyama—sont des tīrtha.

Word by Word

• mātā: mother
• mātā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mātṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tīrtham: a tīrtha
• tīrtham: Pradhāna (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय (predicate nominative)

• pitā: father
• pitā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitṛ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• tīrtham: a tīrtha
• tīrtham: Pradhāna (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय

• tīrtham: a tīrtha
• tīrtham: Pradhāna (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विधेय

• sādhusamāgamaḥ: meeting with saints
• sādhusamāgamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sādhu (प्रातिपदिक) + samāgama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (sādhūnām samāgamaḥ)

• dharmānuciṃtanam: reflection on dharma
• dharmānuciṃtanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक) + anuciṃtana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (dharmasya anuciṃtanam)

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

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: 'thus/so')

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय

• niyamaḥ: observance; rule
• niyamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: niyama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• yamaḥ: restraint; yama
• yamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Antar-tīrtha (inner tīrtha) doctrine (conceptual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Varārohe (Devī/Pārvatī implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teaching tableau where ‘tīrtha’ is shown as mother and father receiving reverence, saints gathered in discourse, and a practitioner observing restraint and observances.

Characters & Entities

• mother (mātā)
• father (pitā)
• sādhu
• yama
• niyama
• dharma

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is internalized: honoring parents, seeking saintly company, and practicing ethical discipline are themselves powerful tīrthas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single location; the verse expands tīrtha to include persons and practices—parents, satsanga, dharma-thought, yama-niyama.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Practice yama (restraints) and niyama (observances), and cultivate ongoing contemplation of dharma.