Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

पृथिव्यां सर्वतीर्थेषु स्नात्वा यत्फलमाप्यते । तन्महीसागरे प्रोक्तं कुमारस्य वचो यथा

Transliteration

pṛthivyāṃ sarvatīrtheṣu snātvā yatphalamāpyate | tanmahīsāgare proktaṃ kumārasya vaco yathā

Translation

ഭൂമിയിലെ എല്ലാ തീർത്ഥങ്ങളിലും സ്നാനം ചെയ്താൽ ലഭിക്കുന്ന ഫലം ഏതോ, അതേ പുണ്യം മഹീസാഗരത്തിലും ഉണ്ടെന്ന്—കുമാരൻ (സ്കന്ദൻ) അരുളിച്ചെയ്ത വചനപ്രകാരം—പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• पृथिव्याम्: on the earth
• पृथिव्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सर्वतीर्थेषु: in all pilgrimage places
• सर्वतीर्थेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘all holy-places’

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Kriya (Adverbial action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु) → स्नात्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: अव्यय-कृदन्त (क्त्वा/gerund), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having bathed)

• यत्: which/whatever
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative)

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

• आप्यते: is obtained
• आप्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; संकेत (that)

• महीसागरे: in the Mahī-sāgara (Mahī-ocean)
• महीसागरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मही + सागर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रोक्तम्: is stated/declared
• प्रोक्तम्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु) → प्रोक्त (कृदन्त; क्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि-भावः ‘is said’

• कुमारस्य: of Kumāra
• कुमारस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुमार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• वचः: word/saying
• वचः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• यथा: as/according to
• यथा: Sambandha (manner/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (as/according to)

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvara-khaṇḍa framing)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahīsāgara

Type: sangam

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At the river-sea confluence, pilgrims bathe at dawn; Skanda/Kumāra appears as a radiant youthful deity blessing the waters, indicating the guarantee of universal tīrtha fruit.

Characters & Entities

• Kumāra (Skanda)
• Mahīsāgara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A single, divinely praised tīrtha can bestow the same merit as many pilgrimages when approached with faith and purity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mahīsāgara—presented as a supremely meritorious bathing-place.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) in the tīrtha is highlighted as the means for attaining great spiritual fruit.