Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

एतल्लिंगं समुद्दिश्य गृहान्निष्क्रमणक्षणात् । विलीयते महापापमपि जन्मत्रयार्जितम्

Transliteration

etalliṃgaṃ samuddiśya gṛhānniṣkramaṇakṣaṇāt | vilīyate mahāpāpamapi janmatrayārjitam

Translation

Si l’on tourne son intention vers ce Liṅga, dès l’instant même où l’on franchit le seuil de la maison, même les grands péchés amassés en trois naissances se dissolvent.

Word by Word

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् ‘लिङ्गम्’

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• समुद्दिश्य: having addressed/with reference to
• समुद्दिश्य: Kriya-samartha (Conjunctive/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्-उद्-दिश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund/absolutive); ‘having indicated/aimed at/with reference to’

• गृहात्: from the house
• गृहात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गृह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• निष्क्रमणक्षणात्: from the moment of stepping out
• निष्क्रमणक्षणात्: Apadana (Point of departure/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निष्क्रमण-क्षण (प्रातिपदिक; निष्क्रमण + क्षण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; ‘at/from the moment of going out’

• विलीयते: dissolves/vanishes
• विलीयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-ली (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-भाव (passive/intransitive sense)

• महापापम्: great sin
• महापापम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा-पाप (प्रातिपदिक; महा + पाप)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; कर्तृस्थानी (subject of ‘विलीयते’)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-भाव (even/also)

• जन्मत्रयार्जितम्: accumulated over three births
• जन्मत्रयार्जितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जन्म-त्रय-अर्जित (प्रातिपदिक; जन्म + त्रय + अर्जित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त ‘अर्जित’; विशेषणम् ‘महापापम्’

Speaker

Śiva (deduced from continuity with adjacent verses and Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s typical Śaiva proclamation tone)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī—praised Liṅga (adhyāya context)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devas

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim at the doorway, one foot stepping out, hands in añjali, mind fixed on a distant radiant liṅga; a subtle dark haze (mahāpāpa) dissolves behind them as they begin the journey toward Kāśī.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga
• Kāśī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere intention and turning one’s life toward sacred worship is itself transformative, beginning from the first step of pilgrimage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), through the praise of a specific, revered Liṅga located in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Samuddeśa/sankalpa—mentally resolving and setting out toward the Liṅga (a pilgrimage-oriented act).