Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 138

Devanagari script

पंच तीर्थानि कुरुते मुच्यते पंचपातकैः । इत्याद्युक्तं बहुविधं तीर्थमाहात्म्यमुत्तमम्

Transliteration

paṃca tīrthāni kurute mucyate paṃcapātakaiḥ | ityādyuktaṃ bahuvidhaṃ tīrthamāhātmyamuttamam

Translation

ಅವನು ಪಂಚ ತೀರ್ಥಗಳ ಫಲವನ್ನು ಪಡೆಯುತ್ತಾನೆ ಮತ್ತು ಪಂಚ ಮಹಾಪಾತಕಗಳಿಂದ ಮುಕ್ತನಾಗುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಈ ರೀತಿಯಾಗಿ ಅನೇಕ ವಿಧಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ಪರಮ ತೀರ್ಥದ ಉತ್ತಮ ಮಹಾತ್ಮ್ಯವು ಪ್ರಕಟಿಸಲಾಗಿದೆ।

Word by Word

• पञ्च: five
• पञ्च: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया बहुवचनस्य विशेषणम् (numeral adjective, indeclinable-like)

• तीर्थानि: pilgrimage places
• तीर्थानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), बहुवचन

• कुरुते: performs
• कुरुते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• मुच्यते: is liberated
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• पञ्चपातकैः: from the five sins
• पञ्चपातकैः: Apadana/Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्च + पातक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पञ्चपातक- (द्विगुसमासः); नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग प्रायः ‘पातक’ (here: instrumental); तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Discourse marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उक्तिसूचक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• आदि: and so on
• आदि: Sambandha (Reference)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘इत्यादि’ इति समुच्चयार्थे

• उक्तम्: said
• उक्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वच् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• बहुविधम्: of many kinds
• बहुविधम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु + विध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: बहुविध- (कर्मधारयः); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तीर्थमाहात्म्यम्: the greatness of the tīrtha
• तीर्थमाहात्म्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ + माहात्म्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (तीर्थस्य माहात्म्यम्); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• उत्तमम्: excellent
• उत्तमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) speaking to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at a sanctified ford/ghāṭa receives the invisible fruit of ‘five tīrthas’; above, symbolic five streams of light dissolve dark stains representing the five great sins.

Characters & Entities

• Pañca-pātaka (five great sins)
• Tīrtha-māhātmya
• Mahī–Sāgara Saṅgama

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is transformative: tīrtha-contact is presented as purifying even grave karmic burdens when approached with dhārmic intent.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The tīrtha under discussion in this passage: Mahī–Sāgara Saṅgama.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

General tīrtha-sevana (pilgrimage practice) whose effect is described as granting five tīrtha-fruits and removing pañca-pātaka.