Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

एकेन बिल्वपत्रेण शिवलिंगार्चनं कृतम् । त्रैलोक्ये तस्य पुण्यस्य को वा सादृश्यमिच्छति

Transliteration

ekena bilvapatreṇa śivaliṃgārcanaṃ kṛtam | trailokye tasya puṇyasya ko vā sādṛśyamicchati

Translation

ഒറ്റ ബിൽവപത്രം കൊണ്ടുപോലും ശിവലിംഗാർച്ചനം ചെയ്താൽ, ആ പുണ്യത്തിന് ത്രിലോകങ്ങളിൽ സമം എന്തെന്ന് ആരാണ് തേടുക?

Word by Word

• ekena: by/with one
• ekena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; विशेषण (instrumental: "by/with one")

• bilva-patreṇa: with a bilva leaf
• bilva-patreṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bilva (प्रातिपदिक) + patra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (bilvasya patram)

• śiva-liṅga-arcanaṃ: worship of Śiva-liṅga
• śiva-liṅga-arcanaṃ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक) + liṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + arcana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (śivasya liṅgasya arcanam)

• kṛtam: was done / performed
• kṛtam: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु) + kta (कृत् प्रत्यय)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त) भूतकर्मणि/कर्मणि प्रयोग; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ("done/has been performed")

• trailokye: in the three worlds
• trailokye: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक) + loka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; द्विगु-समास (त्रयः लोकाः)

• tasya: of that (act/person)
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• puṇyasya: of the merit
• puṇyasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• kaḥ: who
• kaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम

• vā: indeed / ever
• vā: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विकल्प/उदाहरणार्थ-निपात (particle: "indeed/ever/or")

• sādṛśyam: similarity / equalness
• sādṛśyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sādṛśya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• icchati: desires / seeks
• icchati: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: iṣ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

Speaker

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

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (e.g., Śaunaka group) / internal audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee offers a single bilva leaf upon a radiant Śivaliṅga; the leaf becomes symbolically vast, filling the three worlds with merit-light.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Śivaliṅga
• Bilva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even minimal but sincere devotion—symbolized by one bilva leaf—can yield incomparable spiritual merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No site is named; the focus is on the universal Śaiva rite of Śivaliṅga arcana.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offer bilva leaves in worship to the Śivaliṅga (bilvapatra-arcana).