Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

तल्लिंगदर्शनादेव ज्ञानरत्नमवाप्यते । शैलेश्वरं समालोक्य शिवौ तत्र समागतौ

Transliteration

talliṃgadarśanādeva jñānaratnamavāpyate | śaileśvaraṃ samālokya śivau tatra samāgatau

Translation

Schon durch das bloße Darśana jenes Liṅga erlangt man das „Juwel der geistigen Erkenntnis“. Als sie Śaileśvara erblickten, kamen Śiva und (Pārvatī) gemeinsam dorthin.

Word by Word

• तत्: of that
• तत्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-एकवचन (Pronoun; Neuter, Genitive, Singular)

• लिङ्गदर्शनात्: from seeing the liṅga
• लिङ्गदर्शनात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग-दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक; लिङ्ग + दर्शन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Ablative, Singular)

• एव: indeed, just
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; emphasis)

• ज्ञानरत्नम्: the jewel of knowledge
• ज्ञानरत्नम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान-रत्न (प्रातिपदिक; ज्ञान + रत्न)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Singular)

• अवाप्यते: is obtained
• अवाप्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव् + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, कर्मणि-प्रयोग, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Present, Passive, 3rd person, Singular)

• शैलेश्वरम्: Śaileśvara (Lord of the mountain; name)
• शैलेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शैल-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; शैल + ईश्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• समालोक्य: having looked at
• समालोक्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आलोक् (धातु) → समालोक्य (कृदन्त, ल्यप्/क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); ‘सम्यक् आलोक्य’ (Gerund/Absolutive)

• शिवौ: Śiva (and Pārvatī) / the two Śivas
• शिवौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Dual)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• समागतौ: arrived
• समागतौ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + गम् (धातु) → समागत (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP used predicatively); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन (PPP; Masculine, Nominative, Dual)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; Kāśī Khaṇḍa discourse tradition)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śaileśvara (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Muni addressed in the passage; broader Naimiṣāraṇya sages in frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devotees behold the jewel-liṅga; a subtle aura of ‘knowledge’ symbolized as a radiant gem at the heart/forehead. Śiva and Pārvatī arrive together, gazing upon Śaileśvara.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Pārvatī (Bhavānī)
• Śaileśvara
• Śiva-liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Darśana itself is transformative: seeing the sacred Liṅga grants inner illumination (jñāna).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śaileśvara in Kāśī, whose Liṅga-darśana is praised as knowledge-bestowing.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied practice is darśana (reverent viewing) of the Liṅga; no further rite is specified in the verse.