Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

गंगातोयेन सर्वेण मृद्भारैः पर्वतोपमैः । आ मृत्योराचरञ्छौचं भावदुष्टो न शुध्यति

Transliteration

gaṃgātoyena sarveṇa mṛdbhāraiḥ parvatopamaiḥ | ā mṛtyorācarañchaucaṃ bhāvaduṣṭo na śudhyati

Translation

纵使至死修行沐浴洁身，尽用恒河之水，并以如山之土反复涤净；然内心秉性败坏者，终不得清净。

Word by Word

• गङ्गा-तोयेन: with Ganga water
• गङ्गा-तोयेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक) + तोय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष—गङ्गायाः तोयम्

• सर्वेण: entire/whole
• सर्वेण: Karana-viśeṣaṇa (Instrument qualifier/करणविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘तोयेन’)

• मृत्-भारैः: with loads of clay
• मृत्-भारैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत् (प्रातिपदिक) + भार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष—मृदः भाराः

• पर्वत-उपमैः: mountain-like
• पर्वत-उपमैः: Karana-viśeṣaṇa (Instrument qualifier/करणविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर्वत (प्रातिपदिक) + उपम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying ‘मृत्भारैः’); उपमा-अर्थक—पर्वतसदृशैः

• आ: up to
• आ: Avadhi (Limit/अवधि)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधि-निर्देशक-अव्यय (limit marker), ‘up to’

• मृत्योः: death
• मृत्योः: Avadhi (Limit/अवधि)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन; ‘आ’ इत्यस्य योगे अवध्यर्थे (up to death)

• आचरन्: practising/performing
• आचरन्: Karta-viśeṣaṇa (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + √चर् (धातु) → आचरन् (कृदन्त, शतृ)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (present active participle, शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘भावदुष्टः’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• शौचम्: purification
• शौचम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शौच (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• भाव-दुष्टः: one whose disposition is corrupt
• भाव-दुष्टः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भाव (प्रातिपदिक) + दुष्ट (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष—भावः दुष्टः यस्य/भावेन दुष्टः (corrupt in disposition)

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

• शुध्यति: becomes purified
• शुध्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √शुध् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथम-पुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta) to the sages (deduced from Māheśvarakhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā

Type: river

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A vast Gaṅgā river scene with pilgrims bathing; one figure radiates calm devotion, another remains dark/opaque despite repeated washing, with heaps of cleansing earth piled nearby like small hills.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the holiest waters cannot cleanse a corrupt inner disposition; inner purity is indispensable.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gaṅgā is referenced as the supreme purifier, yet the verse stresses that her power bears fruit only with purified intention.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Bodily cleansing with sacred water and earth is mentioned, but it is declared insufficient without bhāvaśuddhi.