तीर्थ

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit तीर्थ (tīrtha).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Hindi) IPA^(key): /t̪iːɾt̪ʰ/

Noun

तीर्थ • (tīrth) m (Urdu spelling تیرتھ)

1. (Hinduism, Jainism) place of pilgrimage, holy site, tirtha

   तीर्थ-यात्रा करना ― tīrth-yātrā karnā ― to travel to a holy site

Declension

Declension of तीर्थ (masc cons-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	तीर्थ tīrth	तीर्थ tīrth
oblique	तीर्थ tīrth	तीर्थों tīrthõ
vocative	तीर्थ tīrth	तीर्थो tīrtho

References

• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993), “तीर्थ”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press, page 455

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• তীৰ্থ (Assamese script)
• ᬢᬷᬃᬣ (Balinese script)
• তীর্থ (Bengali script)
• 𑰝𑰱𑰨𑰿𑰞 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀢𑀻𑀭𑁆𑀣 (Brahmi script)
• တီရ်္ထ (Burmese script)
• તીર્થ (Gujarati script)
• ਤੀਰ੍ਥ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌤𑍀𑌰𑍍𑌥 (Grantha script)
• ꦠꦷꦂꦡ (Javanese script)
• 𑂞𑂲𑂩𑂹𑂟 (Kaithi script)
• ತೀರ್ಥ (Kannada script)
• តីថ៌ (Khmer script)
• ຕີຣ຺ຖ (Lao script)
• തീര്ഥ (Malayalam script)
• ᢠᡳᡳᡵᡨᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘝𑘲𑘨𑘿𑘞 (Modi script)
• ᢐᠢᠢᠷᠲᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦽𑧓𑧈𑧠𑦾 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐟𑐷𑐬𑑂𑐠 (Newa script)
• ତୀର୍ଥ (Odia script)
• ꢡꢷꢬ꣄ꢢ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆠𑆵𑆫𑇀𑆡 (Sharada script)
• 𑖝𑖱𑖨𑖿𑖞 (Siddham script)
• තීර්‍ථ (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩫𑩑𑩛𑩼 𑪙𑩬 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚙𑚯𑚤𑚶𑚚 (Takri script)
• தீர்த² (Tamil script)
• తీర్థ (Telugu script)
• ตีรฺถ (Thai script)
• ཏཱི་རྠ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒞𑒲𑒩𑓂𑒟 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨙𑨁𑨊𑨫𑩇𑨚 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *terh₂-

Proto-Indo-European *tr̥h₂-th₂ó-

Proto-Indo-Iranian *tr̥Htʰám

Sanskrit तीर्थ

Inherited from Proto-Indo-Iranian *tr̥Htʰám, from Proto-Indo-European *tr̥h₂-th₂ó-, from *terh₂- (“to cross over”).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /tiːɾ.tʰɐ́/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /t̪iːɾ.t̪ʰɐ/

Noun

ती॒र्थ • (tīrthá) stem, n

1. a passage, way or road; that which affords transit:
   1. a ford; a crossing at a river.
   2. stairs for descent into a river,
   3. a channel or canal; an artificial watercourse.
   4. (Vedic religion) the path to the altar between the चात्वाल (cātvāla, “sacrificial pit”) and उत्कर (utkara, “pile of refuse”).
2. something sacred or revered; a holy thing or place:
   1. (Hinduism) Lines or parts of the hand considered to be sacred.
   2. (Hinduism, Jainism) a place of pilgrimage (especially at a sacred body of water)
      • Narmadāṣṭaka 2:

        त्वदम्बुलीनदीनमीनदिव्यसंप्रदायकं
        कलौ मलौघभारहारि सर्वतीर्थनायकम् ।
        सुमच्छकच्छनक्रचक्रचक्रवाकशर्मदे
        त्वदीयपादपङ्कजं नमामि देवि नर्मदे ॥

        tvadambulīnadīnamīnadivyasaṃpradāyakaṃ
        kalau malaughabhārahāri sarvatīrthanāyakam.
        sumacchakacchanakracakracakravākaśarmade
        tvadīyapādapaṅkajaṃ namāmi devi narmade.

        O Devī Narmadā, who give protection to fishes, turtles, crocodiles and ruddy shelducks, I bow to your lotus-feet,
        the foremost of all holy sites, the ridder of great sins in the Kali Age, the giver of divine refuge to the lowly fish in your waters.

3. someone sacred or revered; a holy or wise person:
   1. a worthy person, especially one worthy to receive something
   2. an adviser or counsellor; one entrusted to provide advice
4. the right place, time, or means
5. advice, instruction; that which gives direction

Declension

Neuter a-stem declension of ती॒र्थ

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	ती॒र्थम् (tīrthám)	ती॒र्थे (tīrthé)	ती॒र्थानि॑ (tīrthā́ni) ती॒र्था¹ (tīrthā́¹)
accusative	ती॒र्थम् (tīrthám)	ती॒र्थे (tīrthé)	ती॒र्थानि॑ (tīrthā́ni) ती॒र्था¹ (tīrthā́¹)
instrumental	ती॒र्थेन॑ (tīrthéna)	ती॒र्थाभ्या॑म् (tīrthā́bhyām)	ती॒र्थैः (tīrtháiḥ) ती॒र्थेभिः॑¹ (tīrthébhiḥ¹)
dative	ती॒र्थाय॑ (tīrthā́ya)	ती॒र्थाभ्या॑म् (tīrthā́bhyām)	ती॒र्थेभ्यः॑ (tīrthébhyaḥ)
ablative	ती॒र्थात् (tīrthā́t)	ती॒र्थाभ्या॑म् (tīrthā́bhyām)	ती॒र्थेभ्यः॑ (tīrthébhyaḥ)
genitive	ती॒र्थस्य॑ (tīrthásya)	ती॒र्थयोः॑ (tīrtháyoḥ)	ती॒र्थाना॑म् (tīrthā́nām)
locative	ती॒र्थे (tīrthé)	ती॒र्थयोः॑ (tīrtháyoḥ)	ती॒र्थेषु॑ (tīrthéṣu)
vocative	तीर्थ॑ (tī́rtha)	तीर्थे॑ (tī́rthe)	तीर्था॑नि (tī́rthāni) तीर्था॑¹ (tī́rthā¹)

• ¹Vedic

Derived terms

• तीर्थक (tīrthaka)
• तीर्थचर्या (tīrthacaryā)
• तीर्थिक (tīrthika)

Descendants

• Prakrit: 𑀢𑀺𑀢𑁆𑀣 (tittha), 𑀢𑀽𑀳 (tūha)
  • Odia: ତୁଠ (tuṭha)
  • Sindhi: تِٿُ (tithu)
• Helu Prakrit:
  • Dhivehi: ތޮށް (toṣ̊)
  • Sinhalese: තොට (toṭa)
• Pali: tittha
  • → Sinhalese: තිත් (tit)
• Khowar: طورت (thūrt)
  • → Wakhi: tыrt
• → Old Javanese: tīrtha
  • Javanese: ꦠꦶꦂꦠ (tirta)
    • → Indonesian: tirta (“water”)
  • → Balinese: ᬢᬷᬃᬢ (tirta)
• → English: tirtha
• → Hindi: तीर्थ (tīrth)
• → Sinhalese: තීර්‍ථය (tīrthaya)
• → Tamil: தீர்த்தம் (tīrttam)
• → Tocharian B: tīrthe

Further reading

• Monier Williams (1899), “तीर्थ”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 449.
• Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890), “तीर्थ”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan, page 776
• Hellwig, Oliver (2010–2026), “tīrtha”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985), “tīrthá”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 333