Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 60

Devanagari script

स चांडालोऽपि संपूज्यः सर्ववर्णोत्तमो भवेत् । यानि तीर्थानि लोकेऽस्मिन्गंगायाः सरितश्च याः

Transliteration

sa cāṃḍālo'pi saṃpūjyaḥ sarvavarṇottamo bhavet | yāni tīrthāni loke'smingaṃgāyāḥ saritaśca yāḥ

Translation

Even if he be a Caṇḍāla, he becomes worthy of honor and is regarded as the best among all social orders. Whatever sacred fords exist in this world, and whatever rivers belong to the Gaṅgā—

Word by Word

• सः: he/that person
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन (singular)

• चाण्डालः: a caṇḍāla (outcaste)
• चाण्डालः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चाण्डाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन (singular)

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (सम्भावना/अपि=even/also)

• संपूज्यः: worthy to be worshipped
• संपूज्यः: Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + पूज् (धातु) + य (कृत् प्रत्यय; यत्/य-प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (यत्-प्रत्यय/gerundive; ‘to be worshipped’), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• सर्ववर्णोत्तमः: best among all varṇas
• सर्ववर्णोत्तमः: Viśeṣaṇa (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व-वर्ण-उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक; घटकाः: सर्व + वर्ण + उत्तम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), प्रथमा (1st/nominative), एकवचन (singular)

• भवेत्: would become/may become
• भवेत्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (singular)

• यानि: which (things)
• यानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/nom or 2nd/acc), बहुवचन (plural)

• तीर्थानि: pilgrimage places
• तीर्थानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/nom or 2nd/acc), बहुवचन (plural)

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन (singular)

• अस्मिन्: in this
• अस्मिन्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (masculine), सप्तमी (7th/locative), एकवचन (singular)

• गङ्गायाः: of the Gaṅgā
• गङ्गायाः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), षष्ठी (6th/genitive), एकवचन (singular)

• सरितः: rivers
• सरितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरित् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (1st/nominative), बहुवचन (plural)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय/conjunction)

• याः: which (fem. pl.)
• याः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (feminine), प्रथमा (1st/nominative), बहुवचन (plural)

Speaker

Unknown (contextual narrator within Brahmottara-khaṇḍa; likely a Purāṇic narrator addressing a listener)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (as tīrtha-aggregate reference)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Rudrākṣa-Tripuṇḍra-bearing devotee, socially marginalized by dress, is honored by sages; in the background flows the Gaṅgā with many small tīrtha-ghāṭas symbolically present.

Characters & Entities

• Tripuṇḍra
• Gaṅgā
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional marks and conduct are praised as spiritually elevating beyond birth-based status, emphasizing bhakti-centered dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse gestures broadly to all tīrthas and the Gaṅgā’s sacred river-system rather than naming a single site.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, the continued theme is Shaiva observance (Tripuṇḍra/Rudrākṣa), framed as conferring tīrtha-like purity.