Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 77

Devanagari script

तीर्थमन्यैरिति ख्यातं बालकानां हितावहम् । रोगार्तानां भयार्तानामस्माकं वचनात्सदा

Transliteration

tīrthamanyairiti khyātaṃ bālakānāṃ hitāvaham | rogārtānāṃ bhayārtānāmasmākaṃ vacanātsadā

Translation

ตีรถะแห่งนี้จักเป็นที่เลื่องลือในหมู่ชนอื่น ๆ ด้วยว่าเป็นตีรถะเกื้อกูลแก่เด็กทั้งหลาย—โดยถ้อยคำของพวกเราเสมอ—สำหรับผู้ทุกข์ด้วยโรค และผู้ทุกข์ด้วยความหวาดกลัว

Word by Word

• तीर्थम्: the tīrtha; sacred place
• तीर्थम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• अन्यैः: by others
• अन्यैः: Karana (Agent-in-passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरणार्थक-अव्ययम् (quotative)

• ख्यातम्: known; famed
• ख्यातम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ख्या (धातु) + क्त (कृत्-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः, नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; predicate of ‘तीर्थम्’

• बालकानाम्: of children
• बालकानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बालक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• हितावहम्: bringing welfare; beneficial
• हितावहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हित (प्रातिपदिक) + आवह (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-प्रायः (हितम् आवहति इति), नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; qualifies ‘तीर्थम्’

• रोगार्तानाम्: of those afflicted by disease
• रोगार्तानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रोग (प्रातिपदिक) + आर्त (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः (रोगेण आर्ताः), पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• भयार्तानाम्: of those afflicted by fear
• भयार्तानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भय (प्रातिपदिक) + आर्त (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषः (भयेन आर्ताः), पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• अस्माकम्: of us; our
• अस्माकम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• वचनात्: from (our) statement; according to (our) word
• वचनात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, पञ्चमी-विभक्तिः (अपादान), एकवचनम्; ‘from/according to the word’

• सदा: always
• सदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्ययम् (always)

Speaker

Ṛṣis (the sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bālasakhya-tīrtha (also ‘tīrtham anyair iti khyātam’)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Dvija addressed earlier; broader pilgrim audience implied

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pilgrims arrive with sick or frightened children; sages proclaim the tīrtha’s fame as ‘balakānāṃ hitāvaham’; the river-ghāṭa and shrine form a compassionate sanctuary.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrtha
• Children (bālaka)
• Disease (roga)
• Fear (bhaya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A tīrtha’s greatness is measured by compassion—its power to relieve suffering, especially for vulnerable children.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Bālasakhya-tīrtha (the child-welfare tīrtha) in Nāgarakhaṇḍa’s Tīrthamāhātmya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied use of the tīrtha for relief—contextually fulfilled through bathing (snāna) described in the next verses.