Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 204

Devanagari script

सर्वतीर्थाभिषेकं च कुरुतेऽन्यो नरो द्विज । षडक्षरं जपेन्मंत्रमन्यस्ताभ्यां समं फलम्

Transliteration

sarvatīrthābhiṣekaṃ ca kurute'nyo naro dvija | ṣaḍakṣaraṃ japenmaṃtramanyastābhyāṃ samaṃ phalam

Translation

Ô brāhmane, l’un accomplit l’ablution rituelle dans tous les tīrtha ; l’autre récite le mantra de six syllabes : on dit que son fruit est égal à celui-là.

Word by Word

• सर्वतीर्थाभिषेकम्: bath/anointing at all sacred fords
• सर्वतीर्थाभिषेकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + तीर्थ + अभिषेक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (determinative): सर्वेषां तीर्थाणाम् अभिषेकः; पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

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

• कुरुते: does/performs
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• अन्यः: another (person)
• अन्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• नरः: man
• नरः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• द्विज: O twice-born (brahmin)
• द्विज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• षडक्षरम्: the six-syllabled (mantra)
• षडक्षरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षट् + अक्षर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगु-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• जपेत्: should recite
• जपेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √जप् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• मन्त्रम्: mantra
• मन्त्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• अन्यः: another (person)
• अन्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ताभ्याम्: than/with those two
• ताभ्याम्: Karana (Comparison basis/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; तृतीया/पञ्चमी, द्विवचन

• समम्: equal
• समम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

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

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvija/brāhmaṇa (explicit vocative)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A montage of many sacred rivers/ghats symbolized in one panorama; a pilgrim performs abhiṣeka/snāna; beside him another devotee sits in japa—both crowned by identical halos of merit.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Inner devotion through mantra-japa can match the merit of extensive pilgrimage practices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single tīrtha is named; the verse references ‘all tīrthas’ as a benchmark for merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sarvatīrthābhiṣeka (ablutions at all sacred sites) is compared with ṣaḍakṣara-mantra japa.