Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 150

Devanagari script

जातिस्वभावचापल्यात्क्रीडंत्यौ च प्रदक्षिणम् । चक्रतुर्बहुकृत्वश्च लिंगं ददृशतुर्बहु

Transliteration

jātisvabhāvacāpalyātkrīḍaṃtyau ca pradakṣiṇam | cakraturbahukṛtvaśca liṃgaṃ dadṛśaturbahu

Translation

Par l’espièglerie instable propre à leur nature, tous deux, en jouant, accomplirent la pradakṣiṇā maintes et maintes fois, et contemplèrent à plusieurs reprises le Liṅga sacré.

Word by Word

• जातिस्वभावचापल्यात्: due to fickleness of innate nature
• जातिस्वभावचापल्यात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जाति (प्रातिपदिक) + स्वभाव (प्रातिपदिक) + चापल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः (determinative): ‘जात्या स्वभावेन चापल्यात्’—ablative of cause

• क्रीडन्त्यौ: the two (fem.) playing
• क्रीडन्त्यौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्रीड् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (शतृ-वर्तमानकाले, present active participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन; ‘the two playing’

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

• प्रदक्षिणम्: circumambulation
• प्रदक्षिणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रदक्षिण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (as object: ‘circumambulation’)

• चक्रतुः: they two did
• चक्रतुः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/लिट्), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person/प्रथम), द्विवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• बहुकृत्वः: many times
• बहुकृत्वः: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक) + कृत्वस्/कृत्वा-भाव (अव्ययार्थ)
• Form: अव्ययीभावसमास; अव्यय (adverb) ‘many times’

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

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

• ददृशतुः: they two saw
• ददृशतुः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect/लिट्), प्रथमपुरुष, द्विवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• बहु: much / greatly
• बहु: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् प्रयोगः (adverbial use) ‘much/greatly’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: narrative voice in Kāśīkhaṇḍa)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Liṅga-darśana in Kāśī (Viśveśvara sphere implied)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages / audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two beings (likely young/childlike or non-human by ‘jāti-svabhāva’) playfully running in circles around a liṅga, repeatedly catching sight of it; joy turning into devotion.

Characters & Entities

• Pradakṣiṇā
• Śiva-liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even seemingly playful actions, when centered on the Śiva-liṅga, become acts of worship and accumulate spiritual merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Liṅga worship context belongs to Kāśī’s sacred precincts as narrated in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pradakṣiṇā (circumambulation) and liṅga-darśana (beholding the Śiva-liṅga), performed repeatedly.