Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

गंगास्नानफलं ब्रह्मन्गंगायामेव लभ्यते । यथा द्राक्षाफलस्वादो द्राक्षायामेव नान्यतः

Transliteration

gaṃgāsnānaphalaṃ brahmangaṃgāyāmeva labhyate | yathā drākṣāphalasvādo drākṣāyāmeva nānyataḥ

Translation

婆罗门啊，沐浴伽ṅgā之果，唯在伽ṅgā自身方可得；正如葡萄之甘味，唯在葡萄之中，而不在他处。

Word by Word

• गंगास्नानफलं: the fruit of bathing in Gaṅgā
• गंगास्नानफलं: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा-स्नान-फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (गङ्गायां स्नानस्य फलम्), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; (neuter nom/acc sg)

• ब्रह्मन्: O Brahmin/Sage
• ब्रह्मन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन; (vocative singular)

• गंगायाम्: in Gaṅgā
• गंगायाम्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; (locative singular)

• एव: only
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (restrictive particle)

• लभ्यते: is obtained
• लभ्यते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, कर्मणि प्रयोग; (present, 3rd singular, passive)

• यथा: just as
• यथा: Sambandha (Comparison/उपमा)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमानवाचक अव्यय (comparative conjunction)

• द्राक्षाफलस्वादः: the taste of grape-fruit
• द्राक्षाफलस्वादः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्राक्षा-फल-स्वाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (द्राक्षायाः फलस्य स्वादः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (nominative singular)

• द्राक्षायाम्: in grapes
• द्राक्षायाम्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्राक्षा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; (locative singular)

• एव: only
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (restrictive particle)

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• अन्यतः: from elsewhere
• अन्यतः: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्यतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अपादान/स्रोतवाचक अव्यय (ablative adverb: 'from elsewhere')

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A addressed ‘brahman’ (sage) per translation; exact speaker not specified in provided excerpt

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic scene: a sage holds a bunch of grapes while pointing to Gaṅgā flowing nearby, teaching that just as grape flavor is only in grapes, Gaṅgā-bath merit is only in Gaṅgā.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Brahman (address to a sage, deduced listener: Agastya)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Spiritual results are tied to proper locus: Gaṅgā’s bathing merit is uniquely fulfilled in Gaṅgā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā, central to Kāśī’s tīrtha identity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Gaṅgā-snān (bathing in Gaṅgā) is upheld as the direct means to obtain its full fruit.