Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 5

Devanagari script

मर्त्यलोकेस्थितं विप्राः सर्वतीर्थफलप्रदम् । सर्वेष्वेतेषु यः स्नाति स सर्वेषां फलं लभेत्

Transliteration

martyalokesthitaṃ viprāḥ sarvatīrthaphalapradam | sarveṣveteṣu yaḥ snāti sa sarveṣāṃ phalaṃ labhet

Translation

โอ้พราหมณ์ทั้งหลาย ในโลกมนุษย์นี้เองมีสิ่งที่ตั้งมั่นอยู่ อันประทานผลแห่งทีรถะทั้งปวง ผู้ใดอาบน้ำชำระในทั้งหมดนี้ ผู้นั้นย่อมได้บุญผลครบถ้วนของทั้งหมด

Word by Word

• मर्त्यलोके: in the mortal world
• मर्त्यलोके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मर्त्यलोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (7th/locative); एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (मर्त्यानां लोकः)

• स्थितम्: situated; existing
• स्थितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्था (धातु; √स्था) + स्थित (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; भूतकृदन्त (past participle)

• विप्राः: O brāhmaṇas
• विप्राः: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st); बहुवचन; सम्बोधनार्थे प्रथमा (addressing)

• सर्वतीर्थफलप्रदम्: granting the fruit of all tīrthas
• सर्वतीर्थफलप्रदम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक) + फल (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रद (प्रातिपदिक; from √दा 'to give')
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया; एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (फलप्रदः; सर्वेषां तीर्थाणां फलम्)

• सर्वेषु: among/in all
• सर्वेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक; सप्तमी (7th); बहुवचन; सर्वनाम; विशेषण

• एतेषु: in these
• एतेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक; सप्तमी; बहुवचन; सर्वनाम; विशेषण

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• स्नाति: bathes
• स्नाति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्ना (धातु; √स्ना)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd); एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; अन्वयार्थक (correlative pronoun)

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक; षष्ठी (6th/genitive); बहुवचन; सर्वनाम; विशेषण

• फलम्: fruit; result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd); एकवचन

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु; √लभ्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative); आत्मनेपद; प्रथमपुरुष; एकवचन

Speaker

Sūta (implied by immediate narrative context of Sūta–ṛṣi dialogue in this adhyāya sequence)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Viprāḥ / Ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims bathing sequentially at multiple tīrthas, while a subtle cosmic halo suggests ‘all tīrthas’ reflected within the waters; sages bless them from the bank.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage and ritual bathing, when performed in the ordained sacred circuit, can confer comprehensive tīrtha-merit and purify one’s life in the human realm.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse praises a set of enumerated tīrthas in Nāgarakhaṇḍa (Adhyāya 199) collectively, presenting them as a complete sacred circuit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna (ritual bathing) across the stated tīrthas, with the promise of receiving the combined fruit (phala) of all.