Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 37

Devanagari script

न तेन तुल्यतामेति चतुर्वेद्यपि भूतले । रामेश्वरमहालिंगे भक्तो यः श्वपचोऽपि सन्

Transliteration

na tena tulyatāmeti caturvedyapi bhūtale | rāmeśvaramahāliṃge bhakto yaḥ śvapaco'pi san

Translation

Nicht einmal ein Kenner aller vier Veden auf Erden kommt jenem Bhakta gleich, der, obgleich als śvapaca (Ausgestoßener) geboren, dem großen Liṅga von Rāmeśvara ergeben ist.

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• tena: by him/with that
• tena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• tulyatām: equality
• tulyatām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tulyatā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• eti: attains
• eti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: i (इ धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• caturvedī: knower of the four Vedas
• caturvedī: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: catur-veda-in (प्रातिपदिक; चतुर् + वेद + इन्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (चतुर् वेदान् वेत्ति इति)

• api: even/also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-कारक-अव्यय (also/even)

• bhūtale: on the earth
• bhūtale: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū-tala (प्रातिपदिक; भू + तल)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (भूः तलम्)

• rāmeśvara-mahāliṅge: at the great liṅga of Rāmeśvara
• rāmeśvara-mahāliṅge: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rāma-īśvara-mahā-liṅga (प्रातिपदिक; राम + ईश्वर + महा + लिङ्ग)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (रामेश्वरस्य महालिङ्गे)

• bhaktaḥ: a devotee
• bhaktaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhakta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• yaḥ: who
• yaḥ: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-सर्वनाम

• śvapacaḥ: a dog-cooker (outcaste)
• śvapacaḥ: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śvapaca (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-कारक-अव्यय (even)

• san: being
• san: Karta (Participial qualifier/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: as (अस् धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान-कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Setukhaṇḍa māhātmya narration context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Rāmeśvara / Rāmanātha-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A humble outcaste devotee stands with folded hands before the towering Rāmeśvara liṅga, while a learned Veda-knower looks on; the liṅga radiates grace, signaling bhakti’s supremacy.

Characters & Entities

• Rāmeśvara
• Mahāliṅga
• Caturvedī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhakti to Rāmeśvara outweighs social status and even surpasses mere scriptural erudition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Rāmeśvaram (Rāmeśvara Mahāliṅga) within the Rāma-Setu sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; the verse exalts devotion (bhakti) as the highest qualification.