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

Niềm an lạc ấy không có gì thật sự sánh được với cõi trời và những cảnh giới tương tự. “Mức đo” của nó chỉ tự nó mới biết—như nước sông Gaṅgā, chỉ chính nước Gaṅgā mới thấu được lượng đo chân thật của mình.

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.