Skanda Purana — Prabhasa Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

सन्ति तीर्थान्यनेकानि सुगुप्तानि द्विजोत्तमाः । तानि गच्छेत्तु विप्रेन्द्राः सर्वपापापनुत्तये

Transliteration

santi tīrthānyanekāni suguptāni dvijottamāḥ | tāni gacchettu viprendrāḥ sarvapāpāpanuttaye

Translation

Ô le plus éminent des deux-fois-nés, il existe bien d’autres tīrtha, soigneusement dissimulés. Ô le premier des brāhmaṇas, qu’on les visite pour l’effacement total de tous les péchés.

Word by Word

• सन्ति: are/exist
• सन्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तीर्थानि: pilgrimage places
• तीर्थानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• अनेकानि: many
• अनेकानि: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनेक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषण (adjective) of तीर्थानि

• सुगुप्तानि: well-hidden/secret
• सुगुप्तानि: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुगुप्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); विशेषण (adjective) of तीर्थानि

• द्विजोत्तमाः: O best of the twice-born (brahmins)
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); सम्बोधनार्थे प्रयोगः (addressing sense)

• तानि: those (places)
• तानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), द्वितीया (Accusative/2nd), बहुवचन (Plural)

• गच्छेत्: should go
• गच्छेत्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गम् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular)

• तु: indeed/and
• तु: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अवधान/विरोधार्थक (emphatic/contrast)

• विप्रेन्द्राः: O lords among brahmins
• विप्रेन्द्राः: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र + इन्द्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); सम्बोधनार्थे प्रयोगः (addressing sense)

• सर्वपापापनुत्तये: for the removal of all sins
• सर्वपापापनुत्तये: Sampradana (Dative/Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + पाप + अपनुत्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), चतुर्थी (Dative/4th), एकवचन (Singular); प्रयोजन (purpose)

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijottama/viprendrāḥ (addressed audience)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A map-like procession through scrubland and coastal inlets, with small, half-hidden water bodies and stone markers; pilgrims consult a local guide, suggesting ‘sugup्त’ sacred nodes.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrthas (general)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Not all sanctity is public; dharma includes seeking out sacred places and using them for inner purification.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse praises the broader network of many ‘hidden’ tīrthas in the Dvārakā region rather than a single named site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tīrtha-yātrā—visiting the tīrthas for sarva-pāpa removal.