Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

तत्र दृष्ट्वा शुभं लिंगं सर्वरत्नसमुद्भवम् । भवान्यदृष्टपूर्वा हि परिपप्रच्छ शंकरम्

Transliteration

tatra dṛṣṭvā śubhaṃ liṃgaṃ sarvaratnasamudbhavam | bhavānyadṛṣṭapūrvā hi paripapraccha śaṃkaram

Translation

Dort, als Bhavānī den glückverheißenden Liṅga erblickte, der aus allen Edelsteinen hervorgegangen war—denn so etwas hatte sie noch nie gesehen—befragte sie Śaṅkara eingehend.

Word by Word

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

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → दृष्ट्वा (कृदन्त, क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive); ‘दर्शनं कृत्वा’ (having seen)

• शुभम्: auspicious
• शुभम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Neuter, Accusative, Singular; adjective)

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• सर्वरत्नसमुद्भवम्: arisen from all jewels
• सर्वरत्नसमुद्भवम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व-रत्न-समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक; सर्व + रत्न + समुद्भव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Neuter, Accusative, Singular; adjective)

• भवानी: Bhavānī (Pārvatī)
• भवानी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवानी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• अदृष्टपूर्वा: never seen before
• अदृष्टपूर्वा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-दृष्ट-पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक; नञ् + दृष्ट + पूर्व)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Feminine, Nominative, Singular; adjective)

• हि: indeed, for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; causal/emphatic)

• परिपप्रच्छ: asked (repeatedly/in detail)
• परिपप्रच्छ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि + प्रच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Perfect, Active, 3rd person, Singular)

• शंकरम्: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• शंकरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; Kāśī Khaṇḍa discourse tradition)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śaileśvara Ratna-liṅga (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Muni / sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bhavānī stands before the radiant jewel-liṅga, eyes widened in astonishment; she turns to Śaṅkara with a questioning gesture while Śiva remains serene, ready to explain.

Characters & Entities

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

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Wonder before the sacred leads to inquiry; dharmic knowledge is transmitted through reverent questioning.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śaileśvara in Kāśī, centered on the extraordinary jewel-origin Liṅga.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse sets up a teaching dialogue explaining the site’s nature and power.