Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 67

Devanagari script

साधूनां दर्शनं पुण्यं तीर्थभूता हि साधवः । तीर्थं फलति कालेन सद्यः साधुसमागमः

Transliteration

sādhūnāṃ darśanaṃ puṇyaṃ tīrthabhūtā hi sādhavaḥ | tīrthaṃ phalati kālena sadyaḥ sādhusamāgamaḥ

Translation

സാധുക്കളുടെ ദർശനം പുണ്യകരമാണ്; കാരണം സാധുക്കൾ തന്നെയാണ് തീർത്ഥസ്വരൂപർ. തീർത്ഥഫലം കാലക്രമത്തിൽ ലഭിക്കും; എന്നാൽ സാധുസംഗമം ഉടൻ ഫലിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• साधूनाम्: of the virtuous
• साधूनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साधु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• दर्शनम्: seeing, audience
• दर्शनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• पुण्यम्: meritorious, holy
• पुण्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (predicate adjective)

• तीर्थभूताः: become (like) a pilgrimage
• तीर्थभूताः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तीर्थ + भूत (प्रातिपदिक; ‘भूत’ from भू धातु, क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘तीर्थरूपेण भूताः’

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ निपात (particle: indeed/for)

• साधवः: the virtuous (people)
• साधवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साधु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• तीर्थम्: a pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• फलति: bears fruit
• फलति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: फल् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• कालेन: with time, in due course
• कालेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; काल-करणे (with time)

• सद्यः: immediately
• सद्यः: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सद्यः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb of time)

• साधुसमागमः: meeting with the virtuous
• साधुसमागमः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साधु + समागम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘साधूनां समागमः’

Speaker

Unspecified didactic voice within the Tīrthamāhātmya (teaching on sādhu-mahima)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous moment of recognition: the sages appear as living tīrthas, radiating sanctity; the pilgrim’s meeting is portrayed as instantly fruit-bearing compared to distant rivers/ghats.

Characters & Entities

• sādhu
• tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Saintly association is portrayed as the most immediate purifier—sādhus embody tīrtha-power, granting swift spiritual fruit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse universalizes tīrtha-mahima: beyond any single site, it declares sādhus themselves to be tīrtha in embodied form.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sādhu-darśana and sādhu-saṅga (seeking the company of the holy) is recommended as a direct spiritual practice.