Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 7

Devanagari script

तल्लिंगदर्शनादेव ज्ञानरत्नमवाप्यते । शैलेश्वरं समालोक्य शिवौ तत्र समागतौ

Transliteration

talliṃgadarśanādeva jñānaratnamavāpyate | śaileśvaraṃ samālokya śivau tatra samāgatau

Translation

उस लिंग के केवल दर्शन से ही ‘ज्ञान-रत्न’ प्राप्त होता है। शैलेश्वर को देखकर शिव और (पार्वती) दोनों वहाँ एक साथ आए॥

Word by Word

• तत्: of that
• तत्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-एकवचन (Pronoun; Neuter, Genitive, Singular)

• लिङ्गदर्शनात्: from seeing the liṅga
• लिङ्गदर्शनात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग-दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक; लिङ्ग + दर्शन)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Ablative, Singular)

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

• ज्ञानरत्नम्: the jewel of knowledge
• ज्ञानरत्नम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान-रत्न (प्रातिपदिक; ज्ञान + रत्न)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Nominative, Singular)

• अवाप्यते: is obtained
• अवाप्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव् + आप् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, कर्मणि-प्रयोग, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (Present, Passive, 3rd person, Singular)

• शैलेश्वरम्: Śaileśvara (Lord of the mountain; name)
• शैलेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शैल-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; शैल + ईश्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Accusative, Singular)

• समालोक्य: having looked at
• समालोक्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + आलोक् (धातु) → समालोक्य (कृदन्त, ल्यप्/क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund); ‘सम्यक् आलोक्य’ (Gerund/Absolutive)

• शिवौ: Śiva (and Pārvatī) / the two Śivas
• शिवौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Dual)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• समागतौ: arrived
• समागतौ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + गम् (धातु) → समागत (कृदन्त, क्त-प्रत्यय)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (PPP used predicatively); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन (PPP; Masculine, Nominative, Dual)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; Kāśī Khaṇḍa discourse tradition)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śaileśvara (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Muni addressed in the passage; broader Naimiṣāraṇya sages in frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devotees behold the jewel-liṅga; a subtle aura of ‘knowledge’ symbolized as a radiant gem at the heart/forehead. Śiva and Pārvatī arrive together, gazing upon Śaileśvara.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Pārvatī (Bhavānī)
• Śaileśvara
• Śiva-liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Darśana itself is transformative: seeing the sacred Liṅga grants inner illumination (jñāna).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Śaileśvara in Kāśī, whose Liṅga-darśana is praised as knowledge-bestowing.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied practice is darśana (reverent viewing) of the Liṅga; no further rite is specified in the verse.