Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

सदा च लिंगपूजायां मम भक्तिरनुत्तमा । भव भूयाद्भवहर जरामरणहारिणी

Transliteration

sadā ca liṃgapūjāyāṃ mama bhaktiranuttamā | bhava bhūyādbhavahara jarāmaraṇahāriṇī

Translation

Und möge meine Hingabe in der Verehrung des Liṅga für immer unübertroffen sein; o Bhava, o Tilger des weltlichen Werdens, lass sie wachsen—jene Hingabe, die Alter und Tod vernichtet.

Word by Word

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्ययम् (always)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक-अव्ययम्

• लिङ्गपूजायाम्: in the worship of the Liṅga
• लिङ्गपूजायाम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग-पूजा (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘लिङ्गस्य पूजा’

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• भक्तिः: devotion
• भक्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• अनुत्तमा: unsurpassed, supreme
• अनुत्तमा: Predicate (विशेष्य-विशेषण/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (भक्तिः)

• भव: be (O Lord)
• भव: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकारः (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुषः, एकवचनम्; ‘भव’ = ‘be’ (addressing Śiva)

• भूयात्: may it be
• भूयात्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकारः (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुषः, एकवचनम्; ‘भवेत्’ अर्थे

• भवहर: O remover of saṃsāra
• भवहर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भव-हर (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘भवस्य हरः’ (remover of worldly existence)

• जरामरणहारिणी: removing old age and death
• जरामरणहारिणी: Predicate (विशेष्य-विशेषण/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जरा-मरण-हारिणी (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; ‘जरा’ च ‘मरण’ च (द्वन्द्व) तयोः हारिणी (removing); विशेषणम् (भक्तिः)

Speaker

Pulomā’s daughter (Paulomī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Viśveśvara liṅga)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages/devotees

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee performs liṅga-pūjā with bilva leaves and abhiṣeka; Śiva is invoked as Bhava-hara, with symbolic imagery of broken chains, fading wrinkles, and a calm deathless light.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga
• Bhava (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Supreme bhakti expressed through liṅga-pūjā is presented as the force that lifts one beyond saṃsāra, fear, and mortality.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī’s Śaiva sacrality is the background—liṅga-worship in Kāśī is repeatedly celebrated in the Kāśī-khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-pūjā (worship of Śiva’s liṅga) is the explicit practice highlighted.