Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 61

Devanagari script

चैत्रकृष्णचतुर्दश्यामुपवासं विधाय च । त्रिगंडूषान्पिबन्प्रातर्हृल्लिंगमधितिष्ठति

Transliteration

caitrakṛṣṇacaturdaśyāmupavāsaṃ vidhāya ca | trigaṃḍūṣānpibanprātarhṛlliṃgamadhitiṣṭhati

Translation

Et au quatorzième jour lunaire (caturdaśī) de la quinzaine sombre de Caitra, après avoir observé le jeûne, et le matin en prenant l’eau sacrée en trois gorgées, on sert dûment le Hṛlliṅga, le liṅga du cœur.

Word by Word

• चैत्रकृष्णचतुर्दश्याम्: on the Caturdaśī of the dark fortnight of Caitra
• चैत्रकृष्णचतुर्दश्याम्: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चैत्र + कृष्ण + चतुर्दशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण-काले), एकवचन; कालवाचक-समासः (चैत्रस्य कृष्णपक्षस्य चतुर्दशी)

• उपवासम्: fast
• उपवासम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपवास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• विधाय: having observed
• विधाय: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + धा (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययभाव), ‘विधाय’ = having performed/observed

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

• त्रिगण्डूषान्: three mouthfuls (gargles/sips)
• त्रिगण्डूषान्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि + गण्डूष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; द्विगु-समासः—‘त्रयः गण्डूषाः’

• पिबन्: drinking
• पिबन्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial participle/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: पा (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमान-कृदन्त (शतृ), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणभावे—‘पिबन्’ = while drinking

• प्रातर्: in the morning
• प्रातर्: Kāla (Time adjunct/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रातर् (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• हृत्: heart
• हृत्: Samāsa-aṅga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हृत्/हृदय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक-रूपेण पूर्वपद (समासाङ्ग)

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

• अधितिष्ठति: presides over, stands over
• अधितिष्ठति: Kriyā (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अधि + स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśī-khaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hṛlliṅga (Heart-liṅga) in Kāśī

Type: ghat

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrims and vrata practitioners

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Pre-dawn Kāśī: a fasting devotee at a small shrine performs three measured mouthful sips of sanctified water, then stands in reverent attendance before a glowing Hṛlliṅga; lamps flicker, priests chant softly.

Characters & Entities

• Caitra
• Kṛṣṇa-caturdaśī
• Hṛlliṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Discipline (upavāsa) and simple ritual purity practices support focused devotion to Śiva in Kāśī.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Hṛlliṅga (Heart-Linga) within the sacred circuit of Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Fasting on Caitra kṛṣṇa caturdaśī and morning triple sipping (trigaṃḍūṣa) before worship.