Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

पिनाकिन्क्वापि न प्रापि सुखलेशो मनागपि । इदानीं पुण्यसंभारैर्धर्मेश्वरविलोकनात्

Transliteration

pinākinkvāpi na prāpi sukhaleśo manāgapi | idānīṃ puṇyasaṃbhārairdharmeśvaravilokanāt

Translation

O Pinākin, nirgends erlangten wir auch nur die geringste Spur von Glück; doch jetzt, durch die Ansammlung von Verdienst, indem wir Dharmēśvara schauen, ist in uns ein neuer Zustand erwacht.

Word by Word

• पिनाकिन्: O Pinākin (Śiva)
• पिनाकिन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिनाकिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (vocative), एकवचन; शिवनाम

• क्वापि: anywhere
• क्वापि: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व + अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक ‘anywhere’

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• प्रापि: I obtained
• प्रापि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (aorist), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘I obtained’

• सुखलेशः: a small portion of happiness
• सुखलेशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुख + लेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (कर्ता/1st case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘सुखस्य लेशः’

• मनाक्: even a little
• मनाक्: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मनाक् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाणवाचक अव्यय (adverb) ‘a little’

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle) ‘even/also’

• इदानीम्: now
• इदानीम्: Adhikaraṇa (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इदानीम् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time) ‘now’

• पुण्यसंभारैः: by accumulations of merit
• पुण्यसंभारैः: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य + संभार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण/3rd case), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-भावः ‘पुण्यः संभारः’ (store of merit)

• धर्मेश्वरविलोकनात्: from (the) seeing of the Lord of Dharma
• धर्मेश्वरविलोकनात्: Apādāna (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म + ईश्वर + विलोकन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (अपादान/5th case), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘धर्मेश्वरस्य विलोकनम्’

Speaker

Pilgrims/supplicants (addressing Śiva in Kāśī; contextually within Skanda’s narration to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Dharmēśvara (Kāśī)

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: After long wandering, the supplicants stand before a Śiva-liṅga labeled Dharmēśvara; their faces brighten, hands folded, as a soft radiance emanates from the sanctum; offerings of bilva and water are visible.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Pinākin)
• Dharmēśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Lasting well-being begins with puṇya and culminates in Śiva-darśana; the sight of Dharmēśvara marks a turning point from saṃsāra to liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Dharmēśvara in Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is explicitly praised through the theme of transformative darśana.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated; the emphasis is on accumulating merit and obtaining darśana (sacred sight) of Dharmēśvara.