Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

विभूतिधारिणो नित्यं नित्यरुद्राक्षधारिणः । लिंगपूजारता नित्यं शतरुद्रियजापिनः

Transliteration

vibhūtidhāriṇo nityaṃ nityarudrākṣadhāriṇaḥ | liṃgapūjāratā nityaṃ śatarudriyajāpinaḥ

Translation

Ils portaient toujours la cendre sacrée (vibhūti) ; portaient toujours les perles de rudrākṣa ; demeuraient sans cesse adonnés au culte du liṅga ; et récitaient continuellement le Śatarudrīya.

Word by Word

• विभूतिधारिणः: wearing sacred ash
• विभूतिधारिणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विभूति + धारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (masc., nominative plural; 'wearing vibhūti')

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्यम् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: 'always')

• नित्यरुद्राक्षधारिणः: always wearing rudrākṣa beads
• नित्यरुद्राक्षधारिणः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नित्य + रुद्राक्ष + धारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (masc., nominative plural; 'wearing rudrākṣa always')

• लिङ्गपूजारताः: devoted to worship of the liṅga
• लिङ्गपूजारताः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लिङ्ग + पूजा + रत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (masc., nominative plural; 'engaged in liṅga-worship')

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नित्यम् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: 'always')

• शतरुद्रियजापिनः: reciting the Śatarudriya
• शतरुद्रियजापिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शत + रुद्रिय + जापिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (masc., nominative plural; 'reciters of the Śatarudriya')

Speaker

Skanda (narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Daṇḍakhātā tīrtha (Śaiva sādhana-sthāna)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Muni

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ascetics with ash-smeared bodies and rudrākṣa malas sit before liṅgas, offering water and bilva while chanting Śatarudrīya; a rhythmic, disciplined devotional tableau.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Śiva (Rudra)
• Rudrākṣa
• Vibhūti
• Śatarudrīya
• Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śaiva dharma is lived through steady external disciplines (vibhūti, rudrākṣa) and constant inner devotion (liṅga-pūjā, japa).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse supports the Kāśī sacred setting by depicting the resident ascetics’ Śaiva observances around the tīrtha and liṅgas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Wearing vibhūti and rudrākṣa, performing daily liṅga-pūjā, and chanting the Śatarudrīya are explicitly mentioned.