Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

भग्नान्यपि च कालेन तानि पूज्यानि सुंदरि । परार्धशतसंख्यानि गणितान्येकदा मया

Transliteration

bhagnānyapi ca kālena tāni pūjyāni suṃdari | parārdhaśatasaṃkhyāni gaṇitānyekadā mayā

Translation

Ô belle, même si le temps les a brisés, ils doivent pourtant être adorés. Un jour, je les ai comptés : ils se chiffraient par centaines de parārdhas, un total incommensurable.

Word by Word

• भग्नानि: broken
• भग्नानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भग्न (कृदन्त; √भञ्ज् धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) ‘broken’

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle); ‘even/also’

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• कालेन: by time; with time
• कालेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Instrumental singular)

• तानि: those (things)
• तानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन (they/them)

• पूज्यानि: worthy of worship
• पूज्यानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूज्य (कृदन्त; √पूज् धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन; विधेयविशेषण; ‘to be worshipped’ (gerundive/तव्यत्-भाव)

• सुंदरि: O beautiful one
• सुंदरि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुन्दरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन विभक्ति, एकवचन (Vocative singular)

• परार्धशतसंख्यानि: numbering a hundred parārdhas
• परार्धशतसंख्यानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परार्ध-शत-संख्या (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष/निर्देशार्थ समास: ‘परार्धशतस्य संख्या’ = having the number of a hundred parārdhas

• गणितानि: counted
• गणितानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गणित (कृदन्त; √गण् धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति, बहुवचन; भूतकृदन्त (क्त) ‘counted’

• एकदा: once
• एकदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एकदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (adverb of time)

• मया: by me
• मया: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया विभक्ति, एकवचन (Instrumental singular)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta/Kāśī-kṣetra (general liṅga-mahātmya context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī (Devī, ‘sundarī’)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva speaks to the Goddess about innumerable ancient liṅgas of Kāśī—some weathered, broken by time—yet still radiant with sanctity; the sense is of a city layered with unseen antiquity.

Characters & Entities

• Pārvatī
• Kāla (Time)
• Śiva-liṅga
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacredness is not destroyed by decay; in Kāśī, even time-worn liṅgas remain worthy of pūjā and continue to confer merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī’s liṅga-saturated sacred landscape, where innumerable consecrations endure in sanctity.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The key injunction is to worship (pūjā) even broken/aged liṅgas.