Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

पुरुषोत्तम तुल्यः स्यात्पुरुषोन्यो यदि क्वचित । स्रोतस्विनी तदा साम्यं लभते गंगया परा

Transliteration

puruṣottama tulyaḥ syātpuruṣonyo yadi kvacita | srotasvinī tadā sāmyaṃ labhate gaṃgayā parā

Translation

若世间曾有他人可与普鲁绍塔玛（至上主）等同，那么别的河流才会获得与恒河同等之位。

Word by Word

• पुरुषोत्तम: Puruṣottama (the Supreme Person)
• पुरुषोत्तम: Sambandha (Standard of comparison/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (best among persons)

• तुल्यः: equal
• तुल्यः: Kriyā (Predicate adjective/क्रिया)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तुल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

• स्यात्: would be, might be
• स्यात्: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• पुरुषः: a man/person
• पुरुषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• अन्यः: another
• अन्यः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

• यदि: if
• यदि: Sambandha (Condition marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; शर्त (conditional particle)

• क्वचित्: somewhere, at any time
• क्वचित्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्वचित् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देश/कालवाचक (indefinite adverb)

• स्रोतस्विनी: the river (stream-bearing one)
• स्रोतस्विनी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्रोतस्विनी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Time/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

• साम्यम्: equality
• साम्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: साम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• लभते: obtains
• लभते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: लभ् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present); प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• गंगया: with Gaṅgā
• गंगया: Karana (Standard/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन

• परा: other, another
• परा: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Brahmā (continuing the reply)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā (by comparison)

Type: river

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Brahmā continues the analogy: unless another equals Puruṣottama, no other river equals Gaṅgā—depict Brahmā speaking with a symbolic vision of Viṣṇu as Puruṣottama and Gaṅgā as the supreme river.

Characters & Entities

• Puruṣottama
• Gaṅgā
• River (srotasvinī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The text uses supreme theological standards to assert that Gaṅgā’s sanctity is not easily equaled.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā as the paradigmatic sacred river; the wider passage moves toward Kāśī’s supreme sacred acts.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a comparative theological statement.