Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 42

Devanagari script

द्रष्टव्यं च प्रयत्नेन तल्लिंगं कंदुकेश्वरम् । सर्वोपसर्गसंघातविघातकरणं परम्

Transliteration

draṣṭavyaṃ ca prayatnena talliṃgaṃ kaṃdukeśvaram | sarvopasargasaṃghātavighātakaraṇaṃ param

Translation

Il faut, avec un effort fervent, contempler ce liṅga—Kandukeśvara—car il est souverainement capable de briser l’amas des assauts de toutes les calamités.

Word by Word

• द्रष्टव्यम्: should be seen
• द्रष्टव्यम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त—तव्यत्-प्रत्यय (gerundive/obligatory); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विधेय—‘should be seen’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• प्रयत्नेन: with effort
• प्रयत्नेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

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

• कंदुकेश्वरम्: Kandukeśvara
• कंदुकेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कंदुक + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कंदुकस्य ईश्वरः)

• सर्वोपसर्गसंघातविघातकरणम्: that which destroys the mass of all obstacles
• सर्वोपसर्गसंघातविघातकरणम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + उपसर्ग + संघात + विघात + करण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः—‘सर्वेषाम् उपसर्गाणां संघातस्य विघातं करोति’

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषणम्

Speaker

Narrative voice (contextually Skanda in Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kandukeśvara (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brāhmaṇa interlocutor

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A determined pilgrim threads through narrow Kāśī lanes toward a small shrine; upon seeing the liṅga, dark storm-like forms symbolizing calamities shatter and disperse into light.

Characters & Entities

• Kandukeśvara
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage and darśana are presented as protective spiritual technologies—meeting the sacred dissolves accumulated obstacles.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kandukeśvara liṅga in Kāśī (near the Jyeṣṭheśvara area per earlier verses).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana (beholding) of the liṅga, undertaken deliberately and with effort.