Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 28

Devanagari script

स्वनाम्ना लिंगमास्थाप्य कुंडं कृत्वा तदग्रतः । शतरुद्रियसूक्तेन जपन्निश्चलमानसः

Transliteration

svanāmnā liṃgamāsthāpya kuṃḍaṃ kṛtvā tadagrataḥ | śatarudriyasūktena japanniścalamānasaḥ

Translation

Ayant établi un liṅga en son propre nom et creusé devant lui un foyer sacrificiel, il récita l’hymne du Śatarudrīya, l’esprit immobile et parfaitement recueilli.

Word by Word

• sva-nāmnā: by his own name
• sva-nāmnā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (स्वस्य नाम्ना)

• liṅgam: a liṅga (emblem)
• liṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• āsthāpya: having installed
• āsthāpya: Adverbial (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (धातु) + आ, णिच् (causative) + ल्यप् (आस्थाप्य)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); णिजन्त (causative) ‘having installed/caused to be set’

• kuṃḍam: a fire-pit
• kuṃḍam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kuṃḍa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन

• kṛtvā: having made
• kṛtvā: Adverbial (पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु), क्त्वा-प्रत्यय
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त; पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• tad-agrataḥ: in front of it
• tad-agrataḥ: Adverbial (देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + agrataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव; अव्यय (स्थानवाचक) ‘तस्य अग्रतः’

• śata-rudriya-sūktena: with the Śatarudriya hymn
• śata-rudriya-sūktena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śata (प्रातिपदिक) + rudriya (प्रातिपदिक) + sūkta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (शतरुद्रियं नाम सूक्तम्)

• japan: muttering/reciting
• japan: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jap (धातु), शतृ-प्रत्यय (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमान कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• niścalamānasaḥ: whose mind is steady
• niścalamānasaḥ: Karta (Subject qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niścala (प्रातिपदिक) + mānasa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि (निश्चलं मानसं यस्य सः)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Liṅga established ‘in his own name’ (nāma-liṅga) at Agastya-sthāna (contextual)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya sages (typical)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage establishes a liṅga bearing his own name, prepares a kuṇḍa before it, and chants Śatarudrīya with unwavering focus; the fire glows steadily, the scene austere and luminous.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Liṅga
• Śatarudrīya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva-worship becomes powerful when outer rite (liṅga, kuṇḍa) is matched by inner steadiness (niścalamānasa).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The ritual is situated within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa setting, under the wider sanctity of Kāśī and its Śaiva tīrtha-culture.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-sthāpana, preparation of a homa-kuṇḍa, and japa of the Śatarudrīya Sūkta with focused mind.