Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

किं तस्य बहुभिस्तीर्थैः किं तपोभिः किमध्वरैः । महादानैश्च किं तस्य ब्रह्मकुंडविलोकिनः

Transliteration

kiṃ tasya bahubhistīrthaiḥ kiṃ tapobhiḥ kimadhvaraiḥ | mahādānaiśca kiṃ tasya brahmakuṃḍavilokinaḥ

Translation

ബ്രഹ്മകുണ്ഡം ദർശിച്ചവന് അനേകം തീർത്ഥങ്ങൾ എന്തിന്? തപസ്സുകൾ എന്തിന്? യാഗകർമ്മങ്ങൾ എന്തിന്? മഹാദാനങ്ങളും അവന് എന്തിന്?

Word by Word

• किम्: what (use)
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम — interrogative pronoun (neuter)

• तस्य: for him/of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive singular ‘of him/for him’

• बहुभिः: by many
• बहुभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन — Instrumental plural ‘by many’

• तीर्थैः: with pilgrimage-places
• तीर्थैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन — Instrumental plural

• किम्: what (use)
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक — interrogative

• तपोभिः: with austerities
• तपोभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन — Instrumental plural

• किम्: what (use)
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक — interrogative

• अध्वरैः: with sacrifices (yajñas)
• अध्वरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अध्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन — Instrumental plural

• महादानैः: with great gifts/charities
• महादानैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (महानि दानानि) — Instrumental plural

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

• किम्: what (use)
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative/प्रश्न)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक — interrogative

• तस्य: for him/of him
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन — Genitive singular

• ब्रह्मकुंड-विलोकिनः: of one who has seen Brahmakuṇḍa
• ब्रह्मकुंड-विलोकिनः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मकुंड (प्रातिपदिक) + विलोकिन् (प्रातिपदिक; √लोक्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्मकुंडं विलोकयति इति) — Genitive singular masculine ‘of the one who beholds’

Speaker

Narratorial voice (contextually Sūta in Adhyāya 14)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Brahma-kuṇḍa

Type: kund

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A montage-like scene: other tīrthas, sacrificial altars, and heaps of gifts fade into the background while Brahma-kuṇḍa shines centrally; a pilgrim gazes upon it, symbolizing spiritual sufficiency.

Characters & Entities

• Brahma-kuṇḍa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The text elevates a single supremely sanctifying encounter (darśana) as equivalent to numerous religious exertions.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Brahma-kuṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new ritual is prescribed; the verse asserts the incomparable merit of merely seeing Brahma-kuṇḍa relative to tapas, yajña, and dāna.