Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 150

Devanagari script

आरभ्य बाल्यमप्येषा लिंगं रत्नेश्वराभिधम् । यांति पित्राप्यनुज्ञाता काश्यामर्चयितुं सदा

Transliteration

ārabhya bālyamapyeṣā liṃgaṃ ratneśvarābhidham | yāṃti pitrāpyanujñātā kāśyāmarcayituṃ sadā

Translation

From her very childhood, with her father’s permission, she would always go to Kāśī to worship the liṅga known as Ratneśvara.

Word by Word

• आरभ्य: starting from
• आरभ्य: Purvakala (From/starting with)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ-रभ् (धातु) → आरभ्य (ल्यप्/absolutive)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund)

• बाल्यम्: childhood
• बाल्यम्: Karma/Avadhi (Extent/limit)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कालवाचक (time-span)

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-कार (also/even)

• एषा: this (woman/girl)
• एषा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

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

• रत्नेश्वर: Ratneśvara
• रत्नेश्वर: Sambandha (Internal compound relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रत्न (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (रत्नानाम् ईश्वरः), प्रातिपदिक (proper name)

• अभिधम्: named, called
• अभिधम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अभिध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘named/called’

• यान्ति: they go
• यान्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• पित्रा: by the father
• पित्रा: Karana/Agent (by the father)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (also)

• अनुज्ञाता: permitted
• अनुज्ञाता: Karta/Predicate (Predicative adjective of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनु-ज्ञा (धातु) → अनुज्ञात (कृदन्त, क्त/PPP)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (having been permitted)

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• अर्चयितुम्: to worship
• अर्चयितुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु) → अर्चयितुम् (तुमुन्/infinitive)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive); प्रयोजनार्थ (purpose)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-visheshana (Temporal adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration, often to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ratneśvara (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: In-story audience learning the devotee’s background (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A young girl, guided by her father’s blessing, walks through Kāśī lanes toward a small Ratneśvara shrine carrying flowers and bilva; the liṅga awaits in a lamp-lit sanctum.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Ratneśvara Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady devotion from an early age, supported by righteous guardianship, anchors one in Śiva-bhakti and sacred practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), specifically the Ratneśvara Liṅga shrine/tradition of worship.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Regular worship (arcana) of Ratneśvara in Kāśī; no further procedural details are provided in this verse.