Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

गंगास्नानफलं ब्रह्मन्गंगायामेव लभ्यते । यथा द्राक्षाफलस्वादो द्राक्षायामेव नान्यतः

Transliteration

gaṃgāsnānaphalaṃ brahmangaṃgāyāmeva labhyate | yathā drākṣāphalasvādo drākṣāyāmeva nānyataḥ

Translation

يا براهمن، إن ثمرة الاغتسال في الغانغا لا تُنال إلا في الغانغا نفسها؛ كما أن طعم العنب لا يوجد إلا في العنب، لا في غيره.

Word by Word

• गंगास्नानफलं: the fruit of bathing in Gaṅgā
• गंगास्नानफलं: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा-स्नान-फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (गङ्गायां स्नानस्य फलम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (neuter nom/acc sg)

• ब्रह्मन्: O Brahmin/Sage
• ब्रह्मन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; (vocative singular)

• गंगायाम्: in Gaṅgā
• गंगायाम्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; (locative singular)

• एव: only
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (restrictive particle)

• लभ्यते: is obtained
• लभ्यते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, कर्मणि प्रयोग; (present, 3rd singular, passive)

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparison/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमानवाचक अव्यय (comparative conjunction)

• द्राक्षाफलस्वादः: the taste of grape-fruit
• द्राक्षाफलस्वादः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्राक्षा-फल-स्वाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (द्राक्षायाः फलस्य स्वादः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (nominative singular)

• द्राक्षायाम्: in grapes
• द्राक्षायाम्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्राक्षा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; (locative singular)

• एव: only
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (restrictive particle)

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• अन्यतः: from elsewhere
• अन्यतः: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अपादान/स्रोतवाचक अव्यय (ablative adverb: 'from elsewhere')

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A addressed ‘brahman’ (sage) per translation; exact speaker not specified in provided excerpt

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic scene: a sage holds a bunch of grapes while pointing to Gaṅgā flowing nearby, teaching that just as grape flavor is only in grapes, Gaṅgā-bath merit is only in Gaṅgā.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Brahman (address to a sage, deduced listener: Agastya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual results are tied to proper locus: Gaṅgā’s bathing merit is uniquely fulfilled in Gaṅgā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā, central to Kāśī’s tīrtha identity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Gaṅgā-snān (bathing in Gaṅgā) is upheld as the direct means to obtain its full fruit.