Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

लिंगानि परितस्ताभिः स्वनाम्नास्थापि तान्यपि । तेषां संदर्शनात्पुंसां तासां स्नानफलं भवेत्

Transliteration

liṃgāni paritastābhiḥ svanāmnāsthāpi tānyapi | teṣāṃ saṃdarśanātpuṃsāṃ tāsāṃ snānaphalaṃ bhavet

Translation

Und ringsum (um jenen großen Liṅga) haben sie auch Liṅgas errichtet, die ihre eigenen Namen tragen. Schon durch bloßes Schauen erlangt der Mensch die Frucht des Badens in jenen Flüssen.

Word by Word

• liṅgāni: liṅgas
• liṅgāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• paritas: all around
• paritas: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paritas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb) ‘around/on all sides’

• tābhiḥ: by those (women/rivers)
• tābhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural); सर्वनाम

• sva-nāmnā: by (their) own name
• sva-nāmnā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुष—‘स्वस्य नाम्ना’

• āsthā: as (named)
• āsthā: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: āsthā (अव्यय/उपपद)
• Form: अव्यय; उपपद/निपात—‘having as/with the name’ (here: ‘named as’)

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• tāni: those (things)
• tāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); सर्वनाम

• api: also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक/स्त्री (सर्वनाम), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• saṃdarśanāt: from seeing (at the sight)
• saṃdarśanāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃ-darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

• puṃsām: of men
• puṃsām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṃs (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• tāsām: of those (rivers)
• tāsām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural); सर्वनाम

• snāna-phalam: the fruit of bathing
• snāna-phalam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुष—‘स्नानस्य फलम्’

• bhavet: would be, arises
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśī Khaṇḍa context, Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: River-named liṅgas around Triviṣṭapa (e.g., Sarasvatīśvara, Yamuneśa, Narmadeśa)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A central great liṅga with a ring of smaller liṅgas, each subtly marked by river emblems (waves, lotuses, fish) and attended by river-devis; pilgrims stand with folded hands, receiving merit through mere sight.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅgas named after rivers
• Darśana (sacred seeing)
• Snāna-phala (merit of bathing)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kāśī, sacred sight (darśana) itself becomes a purifier, granting tīrtha-merit even without physical bathing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The cluster of river-associated Liṅgas established around the Triviṣṭapa Liṅga in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pilgrimage-darśana: simply visiting and seeing these Liṅgas is said to confer the fruit of bathing in the corresponding rivers.