Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

अग्निहोत्रं च यज्ञाश्च व्रतदानतपांसि च । गंगायां लिंगपूजायाः कोट्यंशेनापि नो समाः

Transliteration

agnihotraṃ ca yajñāśca vratadānatapāṃsi ca | gaṃgāyāṃ liṃgapūjāyāḥ koṭyaṃśenāpi no samāḥ

Translation

Agnihotra, các lễ tế, lời thệ nguyện, bố thí và khổ hạnh—tất cả ấy cũng không sánh nổi dù chỉ một phần triệu của việc lễ bái Liṅga trong sông Gaṅgā.

Word by Word

• अग्निहोत्रम्: Agnihotra rite
• अग्निहोत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अग्निहोत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; Nominative/Accusative Singular (neuter)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction/particle)

• यज्ञाः: sacrifices
• यज्ञाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; Nominative Plural (masculine)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction/particle)

• व्रतदानतपांसि: vows, gifts, and austerities
• व्रतदानतपांसि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्रत + दान + तपस् (प्रातिपदिकानि)
• Form: द्वन्द्व-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), बहुवचन; Nominative/Accusative Plural (neuter)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction/particle)

• गङ्गायाम्: in the Ganga
• गङ्गायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; Locative Singular (feminine)

• लिङ्गपूजायाः: of the worship of the liṅga
• लिङ्गपूजायाः: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग + पूजा (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (लिङ्गस्य पूजा); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; Genitive Singular (feminine)

• कोट्यंशेन: even by a croreth part
• कोट्यंशेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कोटि + अंश (प्रातिपदिके)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (कोट्याः अंशः); पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; Instrumental Singular (masculine)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Modifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्भावना/अपि-कार (particle: even/also)

• नः: of us / our
• नः: Sambandha (Genitive/षष्ठी-सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; Genitive Plural pronoun (our)

• समाः: equal
• समाः: Pradhana-kriya-visheshana (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; Nominative Plural (masculine); predicate adjective

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (Kāśī-sannidhi)

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a Kāśī ghat, a devotee stands knee-deep in the Gaṅgā, offering bilva leaves and flowers to a Śiva-liṅga set on a small pedestal, with priests, lamps, and river shimmer; distant Viśvanātha spires and boats frame the sanctity.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Śiva-liṅga
• Agnihotra
• Yajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Place-sanctified devotion—Liṅga worship in the Gaṅgā—is exalted as surpassing many classical Vedic and dharmic observances.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā-tīrtha in Kāśī, as the setting that magnifies Liṅga worship.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-pūjā performed in/at the Gaṅgā is recommended as exceptionally meritorious.