Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 17

Devanagari script

लिंगं रत्नेश्वराख्यं वै मत्स्वरूपं हि केवलम् । अस्य प्रभावो हि महान्वाराणस्यामुमे ध्रुवम्

Transliteration

liṃgaṃ ratneśvarākhyaṃ vai matsvarūpaṃ hi kevalam | asya prabhāvo hi mahānvārāṇasyāmume dhruvam

Translation

Dieser Liṅga, Ratneśvara genannt, ist wahrlich nichts anderes als Meine eigene Gestalt. Seine Macht ist in Vārāṇasī wahrhaft gewaltig, o Umā — daran besteht kein Zweifel.

Word by Word

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga (Śiva-emblem)
• लिङ्गम्: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• रत्नेश्वर-आख्यम्: named ‘Ratneśvara’
• रत्नेश्वर-आख्यम्: विशेषण (Qualifier of ‘लिङ्गम्’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रत्न (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक) + आख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण (adjectival)

• वै: indeed
• वै: सम्बन्ध (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• मत्-स्वरूपम्: my very form
• मत्-स्वरूपम्: समानााधिकरण/विशेष्य (Apposition to ‘लिङ्गम्’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मत् (अस्मद्-षष्ठी/सम्बन्ध-प्रातिपदिक) + स्वरूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); ‘मम स्वरूपम्’ इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: सम्बन्ध (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतौ/निश्चये अव्यय (particle: for/indeed)

• केवलम्: alone, purely
• केवलम्: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: केवल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

• अस्य: of this
• अस्य: सम्बन्ध (Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम (pronoun), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• प्रभावः: power, efficacy
• प्रभावः: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• हि: indeed
• हि: सम्बन्ध (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय (particle)

• महान्: great
• महान्: विशेषण (Qualifier of ‘प्रभावः’)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); विशेषण

• वाराणस्याम्: in Vārāṇasī
• वाराणस्याम्: अधिकरण (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• उमे: O Umā
• उमे: सम्बोधन (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उमा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), संबोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• ध्रुवम्: certainly
• ध्रुवम्: क्रियाविशेषण (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ध्रुव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव-प्रयोगवत् क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial accusative used as indeclinable sense: certainly)

Speaker

Śiva (Devadeva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ratneśvara-liṅga (Kāśī)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Umā (Pārvatī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva speaks to Umā, pointing toward the Ratneśvara liṅga in Kāśī; the liṅga gleams like a jewel, radiating power across the cityscape.

Characters & Entities

• Ratneśvara
• Liṅga
• Vārāṇasī
• Umā (Pārvatī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Certain liṅgas are proclaimed as direct embodiments of Śiva, and their worship in Kāśī yields extraordinary spiritual potency.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī (Kāśī), specifically the presence and greatness of Ratneśvara-liṅga.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, worship/approach to Ratneśvara-liṅga in Vārāṇasī, recognizing it as Śiva’s own form.