Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

भविष्यंति नरास्ते ये कारयंति रथोत्सवम् । गंगादिसर्वतीर्थेषु यत्फलं कीर्तितं बुधैः

Transliteration

bhaviṣyaṃti narāste ye kārayaṃti rathotsavam | gaṃgādisarvatīrtheṣu yatphalaṃ kīrtitaṃ budhaiḥ

Translation

ਜੋ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਰਥ-ਉਤਸਵ ਕਰਵਾਉਂਦੇ ਤੇ ਉਸ ਦੀ ਸੇਵਾ-ਵਿਵਸਥਾ ਕਰਦੇ ਹਨ, ਉਹ ਉਹੀ ਪੁੰਨ-ਫਲ ਪਾਂਦੇ ਹਨ ਜੋ ਬੁੱਧਿਮਾਨ ਗੰਗਾ ਆਦਿ ਸਭ ਤੀਰਥਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਸਨਾਨ ਤੇ ਪੂਜਾ ਲਈ ਕਹਿੰਦੇ ਹਨ।

Word by Word

• भविष्यन्ति: will be / will become
• भविष्यन्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः (Present), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), बहुवचनम्; भविष्यति-प्रयोगः (futuristic sense)

• नराः: men, people
• नराः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः (Nominative/1st), बहुवचनम्

• ते: those
• ते: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-समानाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• ये: who
• ये: Karta (Relative subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; सम्बन्धबोधक-यः/ये (relative pronoun)

• कारयन्ति: cause (it) to be done, arrange
• कारयन्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकारः, परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुषः, बहुवचनम्; णिच्-प्रत्ययान्त causative (कारयति = causes to be done)

• रथोत्सवम्: the chariot-festival
• रथोत्सवम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ + उत्सव (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, द्वितीया-विभक्तिः (Accusative/2nd), एकवचनम्; रथस्य उत्सवः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• गङ्गादि-सर्व-तीर्थेषु: in all sacred fords such as the Ganga
• गङ्गादि-सर्व-तीर्थेषु: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा + आदि + सर्व + तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः (Locative/7th), बहुवचनम्; गङ्गा-आदि (समाहार/सूचक) + सर्वतीर्थ (कर्मधारय-प्रायः) समाससमूहः

• यत्: which
• यत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (phalaṃ इति)

• फलम्: fruit, merit
• फलम्: Karma/Pratipādya (Result spoken of/फल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• कीर्तितम्: declared, proclaimed
• कीर्तितम्: Kriya-visheshana (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कीर्त् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्गः, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनम्; फलम् इति विशेषणम्

• बुधैः: by the wise
• बुधैः: Karana (Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गः, तृतीया-विभक्तिः (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचनम्

Speaker

Narrator

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grand temple chariot festival: the deity on a richly canopied ratha, priests offering ārati, devotees pulling ropes, banners flying; the Gaṅgā and other tīrthas symbolically present as personified rivers offering homage, indicating ‘all-tīrtha fruit’.

Characters & Entities

• Rathotsava
• Gaṅgā
• Sarva-tīrtha phala

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Supporting public dharma (festival organization) is treated as equivalent to extensive pilgrimage, compressing ‘sarva-tīrtha’ merit into one act of service.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā is cited as the foremost example among all tīrthas, as a benchmark for the festival’s merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

To arrange/sponsor (kārayanti) the rathotsava as a meritorious religious service.