Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

वर्षाणामयुतं येन स्नातं गंगासरिज्जले । सकृद्बिल्वार्चनेनैव तत्फलं लभते नरः

Transliteration

varṣāṇāmayutaṃ yena snātaṃ gaṃgāsarijjale | sakṛdbilvārcanenaiva tatphalaṃ labhate naraḥ

Translation

A person who has bathed in the waters of the river Gaṅgā for ten thousand years attains that very same fruit simply through a single act of worship with bilva leaves.

Word by Word

• वर्षाणाम्: of years
• वर्षाणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• अयुतम्: ten thousand
• अयुतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; संख्यावाचक (ten thousand)

• येन: by which; by whom
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; सम्बन्धे/हेतौ ‘by whom/whereby’

• स्नातम्: bathed
• स्नातम्: Kriya (Participial predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √स्ना (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त) → स्नात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे ‘bathed’

• गङ्गासरित्: the river Ganga
• गङ्गासरित्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा-सरित् (प्रातिपदिक; components: गङ्गा + सरित्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषे पूर्वपद (समासाङ्ग), एकवचन; ‘गङ्गा एव सरित्’ (river Ganga)

• जले: in water
• जले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• सकृत्: once
• सकृत्: Adhikarana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सकृत् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/आवृत्त्यर्थक अव्यय (adverb: once)

• बिल्वार्चनेन: by bilva-worship
• बिल्वार्चनेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बिल्व-अर्चन (प्रातिपदिक; components: बिल्व + अर्चन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (बिल्वस्य अर्चनम्)

• एव: indeed; just
• एव: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक निपात (emphatic particle)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (that)

• फलम्: fruit; result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• लभते: obtains
• लभते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्तरि प्रयोग

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

Speaker

Deductive: Purāṇic narrator within Brahmottarakhaṇḍa (likely Sūta-style narration to sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (as comparator)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Split-scene: on one side, ascetics bathing in the Gaṅgā through ages; on the other, a single devotee offering bilva leaves to a Śiva-liṅga, with the latter radiating equal or greater spiritual luminosity.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional offering to Śiva (bilva worship) can outweigh even immense tīrtha-based merit when done with faith.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā is referenced as the supreme tīrtha-river; no single pilgrimage town is specified.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform bilvārcana—offer bilva leaves in worship (commonly to the Śivaliṅga).