Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

न मया स्थापितं लिंगं कृत्वा देवालयं शुभम । यस्मिन्संस्थापिते लिंगो विश्वं संस्थापितं भवेत्

Transliteration

na mayā sthāpitaṃ liṃgaṃ kṛtvā devālayaṃ śubhama | yasminsaṃsthāpite liṃgo viśvaṃ saṃsthāpitaṃ bhavet

Translation

لم أُقِم اللِّينغا بعد أن شيّدتُ معبدًا مباركًا للإله؛ مع أنّه إذا أُقيمت اللِّينغا على الوجه اللائق كان ذلك كأنّ الكون كلَّه قد ثُبِّت تثبيتًا راسخًا.

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• sthāpitam: installed
• sthāpitam: Karma (Predicate of object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'placed/installed'

• liṅgam: liṅga (Śiva-emblem)
• liṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• kṛtvā: having made
• kṛtvā: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial to main action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), 'having done/made'

• devālayam: a temple
• devālayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + ālaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; देवानाम् आलयः (temple)

• śubham: auspicious
• śubham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying देवालयम्)

• yasmin: in which
• yasmin: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun: 'in which')

• saṃsthāpite: when (it is) installed
• saṃsthāpite: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√sthā (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग-सम्भव; 'when installed/being installed' (locative absolute sense)

• liṅgaḥ: the liṅga
• liṅgaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• viśvam: the universe
• viśvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• saṃsthāpitam: established
• saṃsthāpitam: Karma (Predicate/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√sthā (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'established'

• bhavet: would be
• bhavet: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (Śaiva liṅga tradition)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A newly built stone temple courtyard; priests prepare for liṅga-pratiṣṭhā with kalaśas, flowers, and Vedic fires; above, a subtle cosmic mandala suggests ‘universe established’.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Establishing Śiva worship through liṅga installation and temple-building is portrayed as supremely stabilizing and world-supporting merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśīkhaṇḍa framework glorifies Kāśī and Śaiva sacred space; this verse highlights temple and liṅga installation generally.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-sthāpana (installation) in an auspicious devālaya (temple), i.e., pratisthā-related merit.