Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

तस्मिन्दृष्टेऽथवा स्पृष्टे यत्फलं लभ्यते नरैः । तत्सर्वं सूतज ब्रूहि परं कौतृहलं हि नः

Transliteration

tasmindṛṣṭe'thavā spṛṣṭe yatphalaṃ labhyate naraiḥ | tatsarvaṃ sūtaja brūhi paraṃ kautṛhalaṃ hi naḥ

Translation

Et quel fruit les hommes obtiennent-ils en le voyant seulement ou en le touchant ? Dis-nous tout cela, ô fils de Sūta, car grande est vraiment notre curiosité.

Word by Word

• तस्मिन्: in/at that (place)
• तस्मिन्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), एकवचन

• दृष्टे: when (it is) seen
• दृष्टे: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + दृष्ट (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle) used as locative absolute; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अथवा: or
• अथवा: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथवा (अव्यय)
• Form: विकल्पार्थक-अव्यय (disjunctive particle: 'or')

• स्पृष्टे: when (it is) touched
• स्पृष्टे: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्पृश् (धातु) + स्पृष्ट (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle) used as locative absolute; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• यत्: whatever
• यत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (विशेषण of फलम्)

• फलम्: fruit/result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• लभ्यते: is obtained
• लभ्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive)

• नरैः: by men/people
• नरैः: Karana (Agent-instrument in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (विशेषण of सर्वम्)

• सर्वम्: all of it
• सर्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• सूतज: O son of Sūta
• सूतज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूत (प्रातिपदिक) + ज (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (genitive sense: 'born of Sūta'); पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• ब्रूहि: tell
• ब्रूहि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• परम्: great/supreme
• परम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (विशेषण of कौतूहलम्)

• कौतूहलम्: curiosity
• कौतूहलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौतूहल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• नः: of us/our
• नः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन

Speaker

Ṛṣayaḥ (the sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viṣṇu-pāda at Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra (implied)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The sages lean forward, palms joined, asking Sūta to enumerate the fruits of seeing or touching the sacred footprint; the shrine is shown with lamps and a small crowd of pilgrims.

Characters & Entities

• Sages (Ṛṣayaḥ)
• Sūta
• Viṣṇupada-tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even simple contact with sacred geography—seeing or touching—can be spiritually meaningful when framed by faith and tradition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Viṣṇupada-tīrtha, whose mere darśana or sparśa is implied to grant merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana (seeing) and sparśa (touching) are highlighted as meritorious acts connected with the tirtha.