Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 96

Devanagari script

दृष्टानि मुख्यतीर्थानि तथैवायतनानि च । दृष्टाश्च पर्वताः श्रेष्ठा नद्यश्च विमलोदकाः

Transliteration

dṛṣṭāni mukhyatīrthāni tathaivāyatanāni ca | dṛṣṭāśca parvatāḥ śreṣṭhā nadyaśca vimalodakāḥ

Translation

“میں نے برترین تیرتھوں کے درشن کیے، اور اسی طرح مقدس آیتنوں (معبدوں) کو بھی دیکھا۔ میں نے عالی شان پہاڑ اور پاکیزہ پانی والی ندیاں بھی دیکھیں۔”

Word by Word

• dṛṣṭāni: were seen
• dṛṣṭāni: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे (passive sense)

• mukhya-tīrthāni: principal sacred fords/pilgrimage places
• mukhya-tīrthāni: Karta (Grammatical subject of passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukhya + tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (‘मुख्यानि तीर्थानि’)

• tathā: likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, प्रकारवाचक (adverb: in that manner/likewise)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अवधारण (emphasis particle)

• āyatanāni: shrines/abodes
• āyatanāni: Karta (Grammatical subject of passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: āyatana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• dṛṣṭāḥ: were seen
• dṛṣṭāḥ: Kriya (Predicative/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• parvatāḥ: mountains
• parvatāḥ: Karta (Grammatical subject of passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parvata (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• śreṣṭhāḥ: excellent
• śreṣṭhāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; विशेषण

• nadyaḥ: rivers
• nadyaḥ: Karta (Grammatical subject of passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nadī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• vimala-udakāḥ: having pure water
• vimala-udakāḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vimala + udaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहि (‘विमलम् उदकं यस्याः’ = having pure water)

Speaker

Atithi (context from preceding verse)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: brāhmaṇas (dvijottamāḥ)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic montage: the traveler stands before a sequence of sacred fords, temple gateways, lofty mountains, and clear-flowing rivers; the composition feels like a pilgrimage atlas.

Characters & Entities

• Tīrtha
• Āyatana (Shrines)
• Parvata (Mountains)
• Nadī (Rivers)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage encompasses not only bathing-places but also temples, mountains, and rivers—sacred geography is a complete spiritual ecosystem.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No single site is specified; the verse praises the broader category of principal tīrthas and pure rivers encountered in pilgrimage.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, tīrtha-darśana and reverent approach to shrines are valued, but no specific vow, bath, or donation is prescribed in this verse.