Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

तिलानां दर्शनं पुण्यं स्पर्शनं सेवनं तथा । हवनं भक्षणं चैव शरीरोद्वर्त्तनं तथा

Transliteration

tilānāṃ darśanaṃ puṇyaṃ sparśanaṃ sevanaṃ tathā | havanaṃ bhakṣaṇaṃ caiva śarīrodvarttanaṃ tathā

Translation

Pour le sésame, le simple fait de le voir est méritoire ; de même le toucher et l’employer. L’offrir au feu (havana), le manger, et même s’en frictionner le corps sont tout aussi sacrés.

Word by Word

• तिलानाम्: of sesame seeds
• तिलानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन — of sesame seeds

• दर्शनम्: seeing
• दर्शनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + ल्युट् → दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — act of seeing/vision

• पुण्यम्: meritorious
• पुण्यम्: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — qualifying ‘दर्शनम्’

• स्पर्शनम्: touching
• स्पर्शनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्पृश् (धातु) + ल्युट् → स्पर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — act of touching

• सेवनम्: use/partaking
• सेवनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेव् (धातु) + ल्युट् → सेवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — act of using/serving/partaking

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — अव्ययपद (particle/adverb): ‘also/likewise’

• हवनम्: fire-offering
• हवनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हु (धातु) + ल्युट् → हवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — offering in fire

• भक्षणम्: eating
• भक्षणम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ष् (धातु) + ल्युट् → भक्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — eating

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction): ‘and’

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — अवधारण (particle of emphasis): ‘indeed/just’

• शरीरोद्वर्त्तनम्: rubbing the body
• शरीरोद्वर्त्तनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शरीर (प्रातिपदिक) + उद्वर्तन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन — षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘शरीरस्य उद्वर्तनम्’ (rubbing/anointing of the body)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — अव्ययपद (particle/adverb): ‘also/likewise’

Speaker

Unspecified (Tīrthamāhātmya narrator within Nāgarakhaṇḍa; likely a Purāṇic narrator addressing a listener)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A montage-like scene: sesame seen in a bowl, touched in the palm, poured into a homa fire, eaten as sweet, and rubbed as paste on the body—each act surrounded by a subtle glow.

Characters & Entities

• Tila (sesame)
• Havana/Homa
• Śarīrodvartana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Holiness can permeate everyday actions when they are connected to sanctified substances and performed with reverence.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No named tīrtha is specified; the verse glorifies sesame itself within a tīrtha-mahātmya discourse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Use sesame in multiple ways: darśana (seeing), sparśa (touching), sevana (use), havana (homa), bhakṣaṇa (eating), and śarīrodvartana (body rubbing/anointing).