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

Aunque sea un Caṇḍāla, es digno de veneración y llega a ser el más excelso entre todos los órdenes. Cualesquiera que sean los lugares de peregrinación en este mundo, y cualesquiera ríos que pertenezcan al 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.