Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

भविष्यंति नरास्ते ये कारयंति रथोत्सवम् । गंगादिसर्वतीर्थेषु यत्फलं कीर्तितं बुधैः

Transliteration

bhaviṣyaṃti narāste ye kārayaṃti rathotsavam | gaṃgādisarvatīrtheṣu yatphalaṃ kīrtitaṃ budhaiḥ

Translation

Jene Männer, die das Rathotsava (Wagenfest) veranstalten und stiften, erlangen eben jene Frucht, die die Weisen für das heilige Bad und die Verehrung an allen Tīrthas, beginnend mit der Gaṅgā, verkünden.

Word by Word

• भविष्यन्ति: will be / will become
• भविष्यन्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), बहुवचनम्; भविष्यति-प्रयोगः (futuristic sense)

• नराः: men, people
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), बहुवचनम्

• ते: those
• ते: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; सम्बन्धबोधक-यः/ये (relative pronoun)

• कारयन्ति: cause (it) to be done, arrange
• कारयन्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः, परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्; णिच्-प्रत्ययान्त causative (कारयति = causes to be done)

• रथोत्सवम्: the chariot-festival
• रथोत्सवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ + उत्सव (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम्; रथस्य उत्सवः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• गङ्गादि-सर्व-तीर्थेषु: in all sacred fords such as the Ganga
• गङ्गादि-सर्व-तीर्थेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा + आदि + सर्व + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative/7th), बहुवचनम्; गङ्गा-आदि (समाहार/सूचक) + सर्वतीर्थ (कर्मधारय-प्रायः) समाससमूहः

• यत्: which
• यत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (phalaṃ इति)

• फलम्: fruit, merit
• फलम्: Karma/Pratipādya (Result spoken of/फल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• कीर्तितम्: declared, proclaimed
• कीर्तितम्: Kriya-visheshana (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कीर्त् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; फलम् इति विशेषणम्

• बुधैः: by the wise
• बुधैः: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचनम्

Speaker

Narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grand temple chariot festival: the deity on a richly canopied ratha, priests offering ārati, devotees pulling ropes, banners flying; the Gaṅgā and other tīrthas symbolically present as personified rivers offering homage, indicating ‘all-tīrtha fruit’.

Characters & Entities

• Rathotsava
• Gaṅgā
• Sarva-tīrtha phala

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Supporting public dharma (festival organization) is treated as equivalent to extensive pilgrimage, compressing ‘sarva-tīrtha’ merit into one act of service.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā is cited as the foremost example among all tīrthas, as a benchmark for the festival’s merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

To arrange/sponsor (kārayanti) the rathotsava as a meritorious religious service.