Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

सर्वेभ्योपि हि पुण्येभ्यः काश्यां लिंगप्रतिष्ठितेः । अपरा न समुद्दिष्टा कैश्चिच्छ्रेयस्करी क्रिया

Transliteration

sarvebhyopi hi puṇyebhyaḥ kāśyāṃ liṃgapratiṣṭhiteḥ | aparā na samuddiṣṭā kaiścicchreyaskarī kriyā

Translation

En vérité, parmi tous les actes méritoires, les sages n’enseignent aucune œuvre plus salutaire que la consécration et l’établissement d’un Śiva-liṅga à Kāśī.

Word by Word

• सर्वेभ्यः: from all
• सर्वेभ्यः: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (सामान्यतः), पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक

• अपि: even, also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/समुच्चयार्थक (particle: even/also)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थक/निश्चयार्थक (indeclinable: indeed/for)

• पुण्येभ्यः: from (other) merits/holy acts
• पुण्येभ्यः: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), बहुवचन

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• लिङ्गप्रतिष्ठितेः: from the establishment of the liṅga
• लिङ्गप्रतिष्ठितेः: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga + pratiṣṭhiti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (लिङ्गस्य प्रतिष्ठितिः)

• अपरा: another, any other
• अपरा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aparā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (क्रिया-विशेषण)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• समुद्दिष्टा: has been prescribed/indicated
• समुद्दिष्टा: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √diś (दिश् धातु) + सम्+उद् (उपसर्ग) (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (Past passive participle); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे (has been indicated)

• कैः: by whom, by some
• कैः: Karana (Instrument/Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक: सर्वनाम)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन; प्रश्न/अनिश्चित-सर्वनाम

• चित्: some (unspecified)
• चित्: Sambandha (Enclitic/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: cit (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनिश्चितार्थक-प्रत्यय (enclitic: some/any)

• श्रेयस्करी: beneficial, bringing welfare
• श्रेयस्करी: Karta (Qualifier/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śreyas + karī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (श्रेयः करोति इति)

• क्रिया: rite, religious act
• क्रिया: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kriyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (narrating doctrinal conclusion within Kāśī Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (specific tīrtha to be named in following verses)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A consecration scene: priests with kuśa, kalaśas, and Vedic fire; a newly installed black stone liṅga on a yoni-pīṭha; Kāśī’s sacred ambience with ghāṭa steps and temple spires; devotees offering bilva leaves.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Liṅga (Śiva-liṅga)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī magnifies dharmic acts; liṅga-pratiṣṭhā there is portrayed as a pinnacle of śreyas (highest good).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is glorified as the supremely efficacious place for Śiva worship.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-pratiṣṭhā (ritual installation/establishment of a Śiva-liṅga) in Kāśī.