Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

वर्षाणामयुतं येन स्नातं गंगासरिज्जले । सकृद्बिल्वार्चनेनैव तत्फलं लभते नरः

Transliteration

varṣāṇāmayutaṃ yena snātaṃ gaṃgāsarijjale | sakṛdbilvārcanenaiva tatphalaṃ labhate naraḥ

Translation

ਜੋ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਦਸ ਹਜ਼ਾਰ ਵਰ੍ਹੇ ਗੰਗਾ ਨਦੀ ਦੇ ਜਲ ਵਿੱਚ ਸਨਾਨ ਕਰੇ, ਉਹੀ ਫਲ ਉਹ ਇਕ ਵਾਰ ਬਿਲਵ ਪੱਤਿਆਂ ਨਾਲ ਅਰਚਨਾ ਕਰਨ ਨਾਲ ਹੀ ਪ੍ਰਾਪਤ ਕਰ ਲੈਂਦਾ ਹੈ।

Word by Word

• वर्षाणाम्: of years
• वर्षाणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन

• अयुतम्: ten thousand
• अयुतम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयुत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; संख्यावाचक (ten thousand)

• येन: by which; by whom
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; सम्बन्धे/हेतौ ‘by whom/whereby’

• स्नातम्: bathed
• स्नातम्: Kriya (Participial predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √स्ना (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त) → स्नात (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे ‘bathed’

• गङ्गासरित्: the river Ganga
• गङ्गासरित्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा-सरित् (प्रातिपदिक; components: गङ्गा + सरित्)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषे पूर्वपद (समासाङ्ग), एकवचन; ‘गङ्गा एव सरित्’ (river Ganga)

• जले: in water
• जले: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन

• सकृत्: once
• सकृत्: Adhikarana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सकृत् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/आवृत्त्यर्थक अव्यय (adverb: once)

• बिल्वार्चनेन: by bilva-worship
• बिल्वार्चनेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बिल्व-अर्चन (प्रातिपदिक; components: बिल्व + अर्चन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (बिल्वस्य अर्चनम्)

• एव: indeed; just
• एव: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक निपात (emphatic particle)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Adjectival)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (that)

• फलम्: fruit; result
• फलम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• लभते: obtains
• लभते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्तरि प्रयोग

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

Speaker

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

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (as comparator)

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Split-scene: on one side, ascetics bathing in the Gaṅgā through ages; on the other, a single devotee offering bilva leaves to a Śiva-liṅga, with the latter radiating equal or greater spiritual luminosity.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional offering to Śiva (bilva worship) can outweigh even immense tīrtha-based merit when done with faith.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā is referenced as the supreme tīrtha-river; no single pilgrimage town is specified.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform bilvārcana—offer bilva leaves in worship (commonly to the Śivaliṅga).