Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

रत्नभूतस्य लिंगस्य काश्यां रत्नेश्वरस्य वै । नित्यं संदर्शनं प्राप्य वक्ष्याम्यपि वचो मुखे

Transliteration

ratnabhūtasya liṃgasya kāśyāṃ ratneśvarasya vai | nityaṃ saṃdarśanaṃ prāpya vakṣyāmyapi vaco mukhe

Translation

Da sie täglich den Darśana jenes juwelengleichen Liṅga erlangte—Ratneśvara in Kāśī, wahrlich—werde auch ich die Worte unmittelbar aussprechen, von Angesicht zu Angesicht.

Word by Word

• रत्नभूतस्य: of the jewel-formed
• रत्नभूतस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रत्न (प्रातिपदिक) + भूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन — Genitive singular; तत्पुरुष (रत्नं भूतो यस्य/रत्नरूपः) विशेषणम् (लिङ्गस्य)

• लिङ्गस्य: of the liṅga
• लिङ्गस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन — Genitive singular

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन — Locative singular

• रत्नेश्वरस्य: of Ratneśvara
• रत्नेश्वरस्य: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रत्न (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन — Genitive singular; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• वै: indeed
• वै: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — निश्चयार्थक/पादपूरण (indeed; emphatic particle)

• नित्यम्: daily/always
• नित्यम्: Adverbial (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय — कालवाचक (always; regularly)

• संदर्शनम्: seeing/visiting (darśana)
• संदर्शनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम्-दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन — Accusative singular

• प्राप्य: having obtained
• प्राप्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्र-आप् (धातु) + ल्यप् (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (क्त्वान्त) — Absolutive/gerund

• वक्ष्यामि: I shall tell
• वक्ष्यामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (भविष्यत्), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन — Simple future, 1st person singular

• अपि: also
• अपि: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — समुच्चय/अपि-भाव (also; even)

• वचः: words/speech
• वचः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वचस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन — Accusative singular

• मुखे: in (your) mouth/face
• मुखे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन — Locative singular

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya; first-person narration present)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ratneśvara

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: muni / Gaurī (as addressed in surrounding context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A close-up shrine view: the Ratneśvara liṅga gleaming like a jewel, garlanded; Ratnāvalī stands near, as if about to speak directly to someone present, indicating immediacy and confidence born of darśana.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Ratneśvara
• Liṅga
• Darśana

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Regular, faithful darśana of a sacred liṅga in a holy kṣetra becomes a transformative discipline and a source of spiritual authority.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ratneśvara Liṅga in Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is explicitly named and praised.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Nitya-saṃdarśana—daily visitation/darśana of Ratneśvara—is indicated as the key practice.