Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

पृथिव्यां यानि तीर्थानि गङ्गाद्याः सरितस्तथा । एकस्य विप्रवाक्यस्य कलां नार्हन्ति षोडशीम्

Transliteration

pṛthivyāṃ yāni tīrthāni gaṅgādyāḥ saritastathā | ekasya vipravākyasya kalāṃ nārhanti ṣoḍaśīm

Translation

Alle Tīrthas auf Erden und selbst die Flüsse, allen voran die Gaṅgā, reichen nicht an den sechzehnten Teil eines einzigen Wortes eines Brāhmaṇa heran.

Word by Word

• पृथिव्याम्: on the earth
• पृथिव्याम्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पृथिवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• यानि: which (all)
• यानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तीर्थानि: pilgrimage-places
• तीर्थानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• गङ्गा-आद्याः: beginning with the Ganga (etc.)
• गङ्गा-आद्याः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); ‘गङ्गा’ इत्यादयः (ādi = etc.); तत्पुरुष/अव्ययीभाव-प्राय प्रयोगः

• सरितः: rivers
• सरितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Avyaya (Adverb/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: रीतिवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: likewise)

• एकस्य: of one
• एकस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम्

• विप्र-वाक्यस्य: of a Brahmin's word
• विप्र-वाक्यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विप्र (प्रातिपदिक) + वाक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (विप्रस्य वाक्यम्)

• कलाम्: a fraction/part
• कलाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• न: not
• न: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negative particle)

• अर्हन्ति: are worthy of; equal
• अर्हन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्ह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• षोडशीम्: sixteenth (part)
• षोडशीम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षोडश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषणम् (कलाम्)

Speaker

Jagannātha (continuing speech in context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (as benchmark) / All tīrthas (collective)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A cosmic scale: on one side, many rivers and tīrthas (Gaṅgā foremost) flow in splendor; on the other, a single brāhmaṇa’s spoken syllable appears as a radiant droplet outweighing them—depicted as a luminous ‘sixteenth part’ measure.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Tīrthas
• Rivers (Saritaḥ)
• Brāhmaṇa speech (Vipra-vākya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Inner purification through righteous instruction and blessing is portrayed as superior to even the greatest external tīrthas and rivers.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā is cited as the archetypal sacred river, yet the verse elevates vipra-vākya above all tīrthas in purificatory power.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Prioritize listening to and following the dharmic words of realized Brāhmaṇas/sages as a primary means of purification.