Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 13

Devanagari script

देवदेव उवाच । शृण्वपर्णे समाख्यामि यत्त्वया पृच्छि पार्वति । स्वरूपमेतल्लिंगस्य सर्वतेजोनिधेः परम्

Transliteration

devadeva uvāca | śṛṇvaparṇe samākhyāmi yattvayā pṛcchi pārvati | svarūpametalliṃgasya sarvatejonidheḥ param

Translation

Der Herr der Götter sprach: „Höre, o Aparṇā; ich werde dir erklären, wonach du fragst, o Pārvatī — die höchste Wesensnatur dieses Liṅga, den erhabensten Schatz allen Glanzes.“

Word by Word

• devadevaḥ: the God of gods
• devadevaḥ: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारयः (देवानां देवः)

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriya (Speech act/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (धा; ‘to speak’)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• śṛṇu: listen
• śṛṇu: Kriya (Command/आज्ञा)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śru (धा; ‘to hear’)
• Form: लोट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• aparṇe: O Aparṇā
• aparṇe: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aparṇā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• samākhyāmi: I will declare
• samākhyāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √khyā (धा; ‘to tell/declare’) with sam-
• Form: लट्-लकार, परस्मैपद, उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन

• yat: that which
• yat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Karta (Agent in passive sense/कर्तृ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: एकवचन, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण/कर्तृ), सर्वनाम

• pṛcchi: you asked
• pṛcchi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √prach (धा; ‘to ask’)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect; colloquial past), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• pārvati: O Pārvatī
• pārvati: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pārvatī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• svarūpam: the nature/form
• svarūpam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• etat: this
• etat: Visheshya (Apposition/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• liṅgasya: of the liṅga
• liṅgasya: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• sarva-tejo-nidheḥ: of the treasury of all splendor
• sarva-tejo-nidheḥ: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + tejas (प्रातिपदिक) + nidhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (सर्वं तेजो यस्य सः निधिः)

• param: supreme
• param: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Śiva (Devadeva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī (Aparṇā)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva, ‘Devadeva’, turns to Pārvatī (Aparṇā) and begins a formal revelation about the supreme nature of the liṅga, depicted as a radiant, concentrated light.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Devadeva)
• Pārvatī (Aparṇā)
• Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred knowledge is preserved through guru-like explanation—Śiva reveals the inner nature (svarūpa) of the holy emblem.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śaileśvara in Kāśī, whose Liṅga is introduced as the supreme repository of divine radiance.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it marks the transition into Śiva’s teaching about the site and Liṅga.