Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 4

Devanagari script

यद्यस्तिकिंचित्षड्वक्त्र गंगास्नानफलप्रदम् । विधानांतरमात्रेण तद्वद प्रणताय मे

Transliteration

yadyastikiṃcitṣaḍvaktra gaṃgāsnānaphalapradam | vidhānāṃtaramātreṇa tadvada praṇatāya me

Translation

โอ้พระษัฏวักตระ (องค์ผู้มีหกพระพักตร์) หากมีการปฏิบัติใดที่เพียงด้วยวิธีอื่นก็ยังประทานผลแห่งการอาบพระคงคาได้ ขอพระองค์โปรดตรัสแก่ข้าผู้กราบนอบน้อมนี้

Word by Word

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्तार्थक अव्यय (conditional particle ‘if’)

• अस्ति: there is
• अस्ति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• किञ्चित्: something
• किञ्चित्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किञ्चित् (सर्वनाम/अव्ययवत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक सर्वनाम (indefinite pronoun)

• षड्वक्त्र: O Six-faced one (Skanda)
• षड्वक्त्र: Sambodhana (Vocative/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षट् + वक्त्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन; (षड्वक्त्र = ‘six-faced’, स्कन्द-सम्बोधन)

• गङ्गा: Ganga
• गङ्गा: Qualifier
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; समासपूर्वपद

• स्नान: bathing
• स्नान: Qualifier
• Type: Noun
• Root: √स्ना (धातु) + ल्युट् → स्नान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; समासपूर्वपद

• फल: fruit/result
• फल: Qualifier
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; समासपूर्वपद

• प्रदम्: bestowing (that fruit)
• प्रदम्: Karta (Predicate nominal)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रद (प्रातिपदिक; √दा (धातु) with प्र-; कृदन्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (gaṃgā-snāna-phala-pradam = ‘giving the fruit of Ganga-bathing’)

• विधान: procedure/rite
• विधान: Qualifier
• Type: Noun
• Root: विधान (प्रातिपदिक; √धा (धातु) with वि-)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; समासपूर्वपद

• अन्तर: alternative
• अन्तर: Qualifier
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; समासपूर्वपद (meaning ‘other/alternative’)

• मात्रेण: by mere (means)
• मात्रेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मात्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; (विधान-अन्तर-मात्रेण = ‘by mere alternative procedure’)

• तद्वद: likewise
• तद्वद: Sambandha (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तद्वत् (अव्यय/तद्धित)
• Form: तुल्यताबोधक अव्यय (adverb ‘likewise/in that manner’)

• प्रणताय: to (me) who is bowed
• प्रणताय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रणत (कृदन्त; प्र-√नम् (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4th/चतुर्थी), एकवचन; (प्रणत = ‘bowed/submissive’)

• मे: my / to me (contextual)
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (enclitic)

Speaker

Agastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (benchmark)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Skanda (Ṣaḍvaktra)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee bows low before six-faced Skanda, hands joined, asking for an alternative rite that equals Gaṅgā bathing.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Ṣaḍvaktra (Skanda)
• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Humble inquiry and devotion seek a dharmic, accessible substitute for a great pilgrimage act.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gaṅgā, whose bathing-fruit is treated as the gold standard of tīrtha merit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A request for an alternative vidhāna (procedure) that yields the same fruit as Gaṅgā-snānā.