Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

गुणवत्पात्रपूजायां न स्याद्वै तादृशं फलम् । यथा गंगाजलस्नान पूजने विधिना फलम्

Transliteration

guṇavatpātrapūjāyāṃ na syādvai tādṛśaṃ phalam | yathā gaṃgājalasnāna pūjane vidhinā phalam

Translation

ഗുണവാനായ പാത്രത്തെ പൂജിച്ചാലും അത്ര ഫലം ലഭിക്കില്ല; വിധിപൂർവ്വം ഗംഗാജലത്തിൽ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് അതേ ജലത്തോടെ പൂജിച്ചാൽ ലഭിക്കുന്ന ഫലമാണ് അതിലധികം.

Word by Word

• गुणवत्: virtuous, possessing qualities
• गुणवत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुणवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक; प्रातिपदिक (indeclinable-like stem in compound); विशेषणार्थ (qualifier)

• पात्र: worthy recipient, vessel
• पात्र: Samāsa-aṅga (Compound member)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रातिपदिक (compound member)

• पूजायाम्: in the worship of a worthy (virtuous) recipient
• पूजायाम्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूजा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; सप्तमी एकवचन (Loc. sg.); समासः: गुणवत्-पात्र-पूजा (षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-समाससन्निकर्षः; overall determinative)

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध

• स्यात्: would be
• स्यात्: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative); परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष एकवचन (3rd sg.)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Nipāta (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निश्चयार्थक-निपात (emphatic particle)

• तादृशम्: such, of that kind
• तादृशम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तादृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (Nom./Acc. sg.)

• फलम्: result, fruit
• फलम्: Karta (Subject/Complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (Nom./Acc. sg.)

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Upamāna/Prakāra (Comparison marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/प्रकारवाचक (comparative: as/just as)

• गङ्गा: Ganga
• गङ्गा: Samāsa-aṅga
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रातिपदिक (compound member)

• जल: water
• जल: Samāsa-aṅga
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रातिपदिक (compound member)

• स्नानम्: bathing in Ganga-water
• स्नानम्: Viṣaya (Topic/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (Nom./Acc. sg.); समासः: गङ्गा-जल-स्नान (षष्ठी/तत्पुरुषः: 'गङ्गाजले स्नानम्')

• पूजने: in worship
• पूजने: Adhikaraṇa (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पूजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी/द्वितीया एकवचन (Loc./Acc. sg.; here Loc. 'in worship')

• विधिना: according to rule, by proper method
• विधिना: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया एकवचन (Instr. sg.)

• फलम्: result
• फलम्: Karta (Subject/Complement)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (Nom./Acc. sg.)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Kāśī)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī or internal interlocutor (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devotees at dawn perform Gaṅgā-snānā; one pours Gaṅgā-jala in a small abhiṣeka over a liṅga or a Gaṅgā icon, while a learned priest gestures to the 'vidhi'—clean vessels, mantras, and orderly steps.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Gaṅgā-jala, used in snāna and pūjā with proper vidhi, is claimed to generate extraordinary merit beyond conventional acts of honouring the virtuous.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā as a living tīrtha whose water itself functions as a sanctifying ritual medium.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform snāna and pūjā using Gaṅgā-jala, following proper ritual procedure (vidhi).