Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 33

Devanagari script

तस्यानंदस्य नौपम्यं स्वर्गादीनां भवेत्क्वचित् । गंगोदकस्येव मानं केवलं सोऽप्यसावपि

Transliteration

tasyānaṃdasya naupamyaṃ svargādīnāṃ bhavetkvacit | gaṃgodakasyeva mānaṃ kevalaṃ so'pyasāvapi

Translation

ความปีตินั้นหาอุปมาแท้จริงกับสวรรค์และสิ่งใดๆ ไม่ได้; ‘มาตราวัด’ ของมันรู้ได้ด้วยตนเองเท่านั้น—ดุจดังมาตราที่แท้ของน้ำคงคาคือสิ่งที่น้ำคงคาเองเท่านั้นหยั่งรู้

Word by Word

• tasya: of that (person)
• tasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• ānandasya: of (that) bliss
• ānandasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ānanda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय (negation particle)

• aupamyam: comparison, likeness
• aupamyam: Karta/Predicative (Subject complement/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aupamya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• svargādīnām: of heaven and the like
• svargādīnām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarga (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (स्वर्गः आदिः येषाम्)

• bhavet: could be, would be
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: लोट्/विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• kvacit: ever, anywhere
• kvacit: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kvacit (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश/कालवाचक (adverb: 'anywhere/ever')

• gaṅgā-udakasya: of the water of the Gaṅgā
• gaṅgā-udakasya: Upamana (Standard of comparison/उपमान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṅgā (प्रातिपदिक) + udaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गङ्गायाः उदकम्)

• iva: like, as
• iva: Comparison marker (उपमा-सूचक)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iva (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमावाचक अव्यय (comparative particle)

• mānam: measure, standard
• mānam: Karta/Predicative (Subject complement/विधेय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• kevalam: only
• kevalam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kevala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधानार्थक (adverb: 'only')

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• api: also, even
• api: Particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-कारक अव्यय (particle: 'also/even')

• asau: that one, he
• asau: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• api: also, even
• api: Particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अपि-कारक अव्यय (particle: 'also/even')

Speaker

Sūta (Lomaharṣaṇa) narrating to the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (invoked metaphorically)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārtha (Arjuna)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contemplative comparison: a vessel of Gaṅgā-water shimmering; beside it, symbolic ‘heavenly’ pleasures fading; the central motif is an inner radiance indicating bliss beyond comparison.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā (Gaṅgodaka)
• Svarga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The highest spiritual joy is self-validating and incomparable; it surpasses even celestial pleasures described in Purāṇic cosmology.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse uses Gaṅgā-water as a benchmark metaphor while continuing to praise the gupta-kṣetra’s transformative potency.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No new prescription; it interprets the fruit (phala) of the prior japa and the site’s prabhāva.