Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

शालग्रामशिलामर्च्य न भूयः स्तनपो भवेत् । गोमतीजलकल्लोलैर्मज्जयेत्कृष्णसन्निधौ

Transliteration

śālagrāmaśilāmarcya na bhūyaḥ stanapo bhavet | gomatījalakallolairmajjayetkṛṣṇasannidhau

Translation

ശാലഗ്രാമശിലയെ അർച്ചിച്ചാൽ മനുഷ്യൻ വീണ്ടും സ്തനപാനി (അഥവാ പുനർജന്മി) ആകുകയില്ല; ഗോമതിയുടെ ജലതരംഗങ്ങളിൽ ശ്രീകൃഷ്ണസന്നിധിയിൽ മുങ്ങി സ്നാനം ചെയ്യുന്നവൻ പുനർജന്മബന്ധത്തിൽ നിന്ന് മോചിതനാകുന്നു।

Word by Word

• शालग्रामशिलाम्: the Śālagrāma stone
• शालग्रामशिलाम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शालग्राम + शिला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; ‘शालग्रामस्य शिला’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषसमासः

• अर्च्य: having worshipped
• अर्च्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-लोपयुक्त (Gerund/absolutive) रूपम्; ‘अर्चित्वा’ (=having worshipped) इत्यर्थः

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• भूयः: again
• भूयः: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: भूयस् (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, पुनरर्थक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• स्तनपः: a suckling/one who drinks milk (infant)
• स्तनपः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्तनप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• गोमतीजलकल्लोलैः: with the waves of the Gomati’s water
• गोमतीजलकल्लोलैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गोमती + जल + कल्लोल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; ‘गोमत्याः जलस्य कल्लोलाः’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (बहुपद)

• मज्जयेत्: should immerse (himself)
• मज्जयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √मज्ज् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; सकर्मकः

• कृष्णसन्निधौ: in the presence of Kṛṣṇa
• कृष्णसन्निधौ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृष्ण + सन्निधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; ‘कृष्णस्य सन्निधिः’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषसमासः

Speaker

Sūta (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gomatī-tīrtha (Kṛṣṇa-sannidhi)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On the Gomatī ghāṭa, a devotee worships a black Śālagrāma on a small altar with tulasī and lamp; behind, Kṛṣṇa’s presence is felt—either as a subtle standing form or as Dvārakā’s sacred skyline—while the devotee then immerses amid sparkling wavelets.

Characters & Entities

• Śālagrāma
• Gomatī
• Kṛṣṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Viṣṇu-bhakti through Śālagrāma worship and tīrtha-immersion is celebrated as a liberating path that ends rebirth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gomatī river tīrtha, associated with Kṛṣṇa’s sacred presence, and the Śālagrāma tradition linked to Gaṇḍakī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Arcana (worship) of Śālagrāma-śilā and immersion (majjana) in the Gomatī waters near Kṛṣṇa’s sannidhi.