Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

उन्मील्यलोचने यावत्पुरः पश्यति बालकः । तावल्लिंगे ददर्शाथ त्र्यंबकं शशिशेखरम्

Transliteration

unmīlyalocane yāvatpuraḥ paśyati bālakaḥ | tāvalliṃge dadarśātha tryaṃbakaṃ śaśiśekharam

Translation

Dès que l’enfant ouvrit les yeux et regarda devant lui, à l’instant même il vit dans le liṅga Tryambaka—Śiva, le Seigneur aux trois yeux—couronné du croissant de lune.

Word by Word

• unmīlya: having opened
• unmīlya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: un-mīl (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), धातु: मील् (to open) उपसर्ग: उत्/उन्; क्रियाविशेषणभावः (adverbial)

• locane: (his) two eyes
• locane: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: locana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/सप्तमी द्विवचन (Acc./Loc. dual); here: द्वितीया द्विवचन (object)

• yāvat: as far as / as long as
• yāvat: Sambandha (Correlative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (प्रातिपदिक/अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, परिमाण/अवधि-वाचक (correlative: as long as/so far as)

• puraḥ: in front
• puraḥ: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: puras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, अव्यय-प्रयोग (adverb of place)

• paśyati: sees
• paśyati: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• bālakaḥ: the boy
• bālakaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bālaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tāvat: then / so much
• tāvat: Sambandha (Correlative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tāvat (प्रातिपदिक/अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, तावत्-शब्दः (correlative: then/so much)

• liṅge: in the liṅga
• liṅge: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• dadarśa: saw
• dadarśa: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अनुक्रम/समुच्चयार्थक (then/and then)

• tryaṃbakam: Tryambaka (the three-eyed one)
• tryaṃbakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri + ambaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः: त्रि-अम्बक (three-eyed)

• śaśiśekharam: the moon-crested (Śiva)
• śaśiśekharam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaśi + śekhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः: शशि-शेखर (moon-crested)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration traditionally framed as Skanda’s discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī / Viśveśvara area (implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A child opens his eyes and, facing the sanctum, beholds within the liṅga the radiant form of Tryambaka with three eyes and a crescent moon—an interior vision shining from the stone emblem.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga
• Tryambaka
• Śiva (Śaśiśekhara)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True vision culminates in Śiva-darśana; the liṅga is presented as a living locus where the Lord reveals Himself to the devotee.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśī-kṣetra setting is implied by the Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, emphasizing Śiva’s immediacy in Kāśī through liṅga worship.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated here; the verse highlights the fruit of devotion culminating in darśana of Śiva in the liṅga.