Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

अतएव हि गोप्तव्यं महापातकनाशनम् । बृहस्पतीश्वरं लिंगं नाख्येयं यस्यकस्यचित्

Transliteration

ataeva hi goptavyaṃ mahāpātakanāśanam | bṛhaspatīśvaraṃ liṃgaṃ nākhyeyaṃ yasyakasyacit

Translation

C’est pourquoi le Liṅga de Bṛhaspatīśvara, destructeur des grands péchés, doit être gardé comme un secret sacré et ne pas être divulgué à n’importe qui.

Word by Word

• अतः: therefore
• अतः: Sambandha (Discourse adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थक (therefore/from this)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (restrictive/emphatic particle)

• हि: for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (explanatory particle)

• गोप्तव्यम्: to be protected/kept secret
• गोप्तव्यम्: Kriya-visheshana (Predicate necessity)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुप् (धातु) + तव्यत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive/obligative); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘रक्षितव्यं’

• महापातकनाशनम्: destroyer of great sins
• महापातकनाशनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महापातक-नाशन (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; महापातकस्य नाशनम् इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• बृहस्पतीश्वरम्: (called) Bṛhaspatīśvara
• बृहस्पतीश्वरम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बृहस्पति-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बृहस्पतेः ईश्वरः इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga (Śiva emblem)
• लिङ्गम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation)

• आख्येयम्: to be told/declared
• आख्येयम्: Kriya-visheshana (Prohibition predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आ-ख्या (धातु) + यत्/ण्यत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: यत्/ण्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘कथनीयम्/प्रकाशनीयम्’

• यस्य: of whom
• यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सम्बन्धे (of whom)

• कस्यचित्: of anyone (whatsoever)
• कस्यचित्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + चित् (निपात)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; अनिश्चितार्थक सर्वनाम (indefinite: of anyone)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, typically Skanda instructing Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bṛhaspatīśvara liṅga

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇa interlocutor / intended pilgrims

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A small, ancient liṅga shrine partially veiled by a curtain; a priest gestures for silence while a worthy pilgrim approaches with folded hands. The atmosphere suggests guarded sanctity—lamps flicker, inscriptions are faint, and the shrine feels hidden within Kāśī’s labyrinthine lanes.

Characters & Entities

• Bṛhaspatīśvara
• Liṅga (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Supremely potent sacred sites should be approached with reverence and discretion, not treated as casual information.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Bṛhaspatīśvara Liṅga in Kāśī, praised as a destroyer of mahāpātakas (great sins).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A discipline of secrecy/reverent guardianship (gopanā/rahasya) regarding the shrine’s knowledge and access.