Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

दृष्ट्वा त्रिविष्टपं लिंगं तत्पापमपि हास्यति । सर्वस्मिन्नपि भूपृष्ठे श्रेष्ठमानंदकाननम्

Transliteration

dṛṣṭvā triviṣṭapaṃ liṃgaṃ tatpāpamapi hāsyati | sarvasminnapi bhūpṛṣṭhe śreṣṭhamānaṃdakānanam

Translation

En contemplant le Triviṣṭapa-liṅga, même ce péché est détruit. Sur toute la surface de la terre, Ānanda-kānana est le plus excellent.

Word by Word

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya (Adverbial action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dṛś (धातु) + tvā (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया

• त्रिविष्टपम्: heavenly/pertaining to heaven
• त्रिविष्टपम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: triviṣṭapa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'लिंगम्' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

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

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; निर्देश

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle) समुच्चय/अप्यर्थ (also/even)

• हास्यति: will abandon/remove
• हास्यति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: hā (धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• सर्वस्मिन्: in all/throughout
• सर्वस्मिन्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'भूपृष्ठे' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• भूपृष्ठे: on the earth’s surface
• भूपृष्ठे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhū-pṛṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (bhūyāḥ pṛṣṭham)

• श्रेष्ठम्: the best
• श्रेष्ठम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; 'आनंदकाननम्' इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• आनंदकाननम्: Ānandakānana (the grove)
• आनंदकाननम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ānanda-kānana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ānandasya kānanam)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Triviṣṭapa-liṅga (in Ānanda-kānana, Kāśī)

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim, previously stained by sin, stands before the Triviṣṭapa-liṅga; the darkness of pāpa dissolves into a luminous aura, while Kāśī’s sacred grove and temple silhouettes frame the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Triviṣṭapa-liṅga
• Ānanda-kānana
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s presence in Kāśī is depicted as both supremely sanctifying and uniquely capable of dissolving even severe impurity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Triviṣṭapa-liṅga and Ānanda-kānana in Kāśī are explicitly praised as supreme on earth.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana of the Triviṣṭapa-liṅga is the key act, presented as spiritually remedial.