Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

प्रतिमासं समारभ्य तिथिं प्रतिपदं शुभाम् । एतेषां लिंगमुख्यानां कार्या यात्रा प्रयत्नतः

Transliteration

pratimāsaṃ samārabhya tithiṃ pratipadaṃ śubhām | eteṣāṃ liṃgamukhyānāṃ kāryā yātrā prayatnataḥ

Translation

In jedem Monat, beginnend am glückverheißenden Pratipadā, dem ersten Tithi, soll man mit allem Eifer die Pilgerfahrt zu diesen erhabensten Liṅgas antreten.

Word by Word

• प्रति: each / per
• प्रति: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्ग/पूर्वपद-निपात (prepositional particle)

• मासम्: month
• मासम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; ‘प्रति’ इत्यनेन सह कालवाचकः

• समारभ्य: starting from
• समारभ्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्-आ-√रभ् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), ‘having begun/starting from’

• तिथिम्: lunar day (tithi)
• तिथिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• प्रतिपदम्: the first lunar day (Pratipadā)
• प्रतिपदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रतिपद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; तिथिविशेषः

• शुभाम्: auspicious
• शुभाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; तिथिम्/प्रतिपदम् इति विशेषणम्

• एतेषाम्: of these
• एतेषाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• लिङ्गमुख्यानाम्: of the foremost liṅgas
• लिङ्गमुख्यानाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लिङ्ग + मुख्य (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (समूहवाचक-विशेषण), षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (लिङ्गेषु मुख्याः)

• कार्या: should be performed
• कार्या: Predicate (Vidhi/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √कृ (धातु) + यत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (यत्-प्रत्ययान्त, gerundive/obligatory), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; ‘to be done’

• यात्रा: pilgrimage / procession
• यात्रा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यात्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• प्रयत्नतः: with effort / diligently
• प्रयत्नतः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb) ‘with effort’

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Fourteen foremost liṅgas of Kāśī (liṅga-mukhya)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A monthly procession at dawn on Pratipadā: pilgrims with waterpots and bilva, moving from shrine to shrine, marking each stop with lamps and circumambulation.

Characters & Entities

• Pratipadā tithi
• Fourteen principal Liṅgas of Kāśī (implied)
• Ānandakānana/Kāśī (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation-oriented devotion is made practical through disciplined sacred travel: regular monthly pilgrimage to the principal liṅgas cultivates merit and steadfast bhakti.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī/Ānandakānana through the recommended yātrā (pilgrimage circuit) to its foremost liṅgas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A monthly observance: commence on the auspicious Pratipadā tithi and perform the yātrā to these principal liṅgas with diligence.