Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

अखंडबिल्वपत्रेण महातुष्टिः प्रजायते । एकनापि यथान्येषां तथा न मम कोटिभिः

Transliteration

akhaṃḍabilvapatreṇa mahātuṣṭiḥ prajāyate | ekanāpi yathānyeṣāṃ tathā na mama koṭibhiḥ

Translation

ഒരു അഖണ്ഡ ബില്വപത്രം കൊണ്ടുതന്നെ (എനിക്ക്) മഹാതൃപ്തി ജനിക്കുന്നു. മറ്റുള്ളവർക്ക് പല അർപ്പണങ്ങളാൽ ഉണ്ടാകുന്നതുപോലെ, എനിക്ക് ഒന്നുകൊണ്ടുതന്നെ; കോടികളാലും അതുപോലെ അല്ല.

Word by Word

• akhaṇḍa-bilva-patreṇa: with an unbroken bilva leaf
• akhaṇḍa-bilva-patreṇa: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: akhaṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + bilva (प्रातिपदिक) + patra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास; करण-तृतीया

• mahā-tuṣṭiḥ: great satisfaction
• mahā-tuṣṭiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + tuṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (mahā ca sā tuṣṭiḥ)

• prajāyate: arises, is produced
• prajāyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jan (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; प्र-उपसर्ग

• ekena: with one (leaf)
• ekena: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; संख्याविशेषण

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle): 'even'

• yathā: just as
• yathā: Sambandha (Comparison/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (comparative adverb): 'as/just as'

• anyeṣām: of others
• anyeṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• tathā: so, likewise
• tathā: Sambandha (Correlation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (correlative adverb): 'so/in the same way'

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (negation particle)

• mama: of me, my
• mama: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• koṭibhiḥ: with crores (of offerings)
• koṭibhiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: koṭi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; करण-तृतीया

Speaker

Śiva (continued speech)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The devotee/brāhmaṇa

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A close-up devotional moment: a single intact bilva leaf is offered, and Śiva’s satisfaction is shown as a radiant calm, contrasting with heaps of lesser offerings.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Bilva leaf

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Śiva-bhakti, sincerity and the sanctity of the offering can outweigh sheer quantity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is specified; the verse glorifies bilva-patra as a supreme Śaiva offering.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Offer intact (unbroken) bilva leaves in Śiva worship; even a single leaf is said to be highly pleasing.