Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

तत्र दृष्ट्वा शुभं लिंगं सर्वरत्नसमुद्भवम् । भवान्यदृष्टपूर्वा हि परिपप्रच्छ शंकरम्

Transliteration

tatra dṛṣṭvā śubhaṃ liṃgaṃ sarvaratnasamudbhavam | bhavānyadṛṣṭapūrvā hi paripapraccha śaṃkaram

Translation

Là, voyant ce Liṅga de bon augure, né de tous les joyaux, Bhavānī—car elle ne l’avait jamais vu auparavant—questionna Śaṅkara avec insistance.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → दृष्ट्वा (कृदन्त, क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive); ‘दर्शनं कृत्वा’ (having seen)

• शुभम्: auspicious
• शुभम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Neuter, Accusative, Singular; adjective)

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

• सर्वरत्नसमुद्भवम्: arisen from all jewels
• सर्वरत्नसमुद्भवम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व-रत्न-समुद्भव (प्रातिपदिक; सर्व + रत्न + समुद्भव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Neuter, Accusative, Singular; adjective)

• भवानी: Bhavānī (Pārvatī)
• भवानी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवानी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• अदृष्टपूर्वा: never seen before
• अदृष्टपूर्वा: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-दृष्ट-पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक; नञ् + दृष्ट + पूर्व)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (Feminine, Nominative, Singular; adjective)

• हि: indeed, for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; causal/emphatic)

• परिपप्रच्छ: asked (repeatedly/in detail)
• परिपप्रच्छ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: परि + प्रच्छ् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Perfect, Active, 3rd person, Singular)

• शंकरम्: Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• शंकरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शंकर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; Kāśī Khaṇḍa discourse tradition)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śaileśvara Ratna-liṅga (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Muni / sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Bhavānī stands before the radiant jewel-liṅga, eyes widened in astonishment; she turns to Śaṅkara with a questioning gesture while Śiva remains serene, ready to explain.

Characters & Entities

• Bhavānī (Pārvatī)
• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Śiva-liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Wonder before the sacred leads to inquiry; dharmic knowledge is transmitted through reverent questioning.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śaileśvara in Kāśī, centered on the extraordinary jewel-origin Liṅga.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse sets up a teaching dialogue explaining the site’s nature and power.