Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

प्रमादेनापि यैर्गौरि लिंगं रत्नेशमर्चितम् । ते भवंत्येव नियतं सप्तद्वीपेश्वरा नृपाः

Transliteration

pramādenāpi yairgauri liṃgaṃ ratneśamarcitam | te bhavaṃtyeva niyataṃ saptadvīpeśvarā nṛpāḥ

Translation

हे गौरी! जो प्रमादवश भी रत्नेश-लिंग का पूजन कर लेते हैं, वे निश्चय ही सात द्वीपों के अधिपति राजा बन जाते हैं।

Word by Word

• प्रमादेन: through inadvertence; even by mistake
• प्रमादेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रमाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन (Singular), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण/समुच्चय (even/also)

• यैः: by whom
• यैः: Karana (Agent in passive/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन (Plural), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine; generic)

• गौरि: O Gaurī
• गौरि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गौरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular), स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine)

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

• रत्नेशम्: Ratneśa
• रत्नेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रत्न (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास; द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (Singular), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine)

• अर्चितम्: worshipped
• अर्चितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्चित (कृदन्त; √अर्च् धातु, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन (Singular), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine)

• भवन्ति: become
• भवन्ति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural), परस्मैपद

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (emphasis)

• नियतं: certainly
• नियतं: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नियत (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्त)
• Form: अव्ययीभावे प्रयोग (adverbial accusative: 'certainly')

• सप्तद्वीपेश्वराः: lords of the seven continents
• सप्तद्वीपेश्वराः: Pratipādya (Predicate nominative/प्रत्ययार्थ)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + द्वीप (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: 'of seven islands'); प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine)

• नृपाः: kings
• नृपाः: Pratipādya (Apposition/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन (Plural), पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ratneśa/Ratneśvara (Avimukta, Kāśī)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī (addressed as Gaurī)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva declares to Gaurī that even inadvertent worship of Ratneśa makes one a ruler over the seven continents; depict a devotee offering a simple flower, while a cosmic map of seven dvīpas appears as a haloed vision.

Characters & Entities

• Gaurī (Pārvatī)
• Ratneśvara Liṅga
• Sapta-dvīpa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s sacred power magnifies even small or accidental acts of devotion into great merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ratneśvara Liṅga in Avimukta (Kāśī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Worship (arcana) of the Ratneśa Liṅga; the verse emphasizes the extraordinary fruit even if performed inadvertently.