Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 45

Devanagari script

प्रासादः कारितः केन जानास्येष ततो वद । अस्य लिंगस्य किं नाम प्रायो जाने न वार्धकात्

Transliteration

prāsādaḥ kāritaḥ kena jānāsyeṣa tato vada | asya liṃgasya kiṃ nāma prāyo jāne na vārdhakāt

Translation

“Siapakah yang membangun prasada (kuil) ini? Jika engkau tahu, katakanlah. Dan apakah nama liṅga ini? Sesungguhnya aku hampir tak ingat—usia tua telah mengaburkan ingatanku.”

Word by Word

• प्रासादः: palace/temple-building
• प्रासादः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रासाद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• कारितः: made / caused to be built
• कारितः: Kriya (Predicate participle)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √कृ (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘made/caused to be made’

• केन: by whom?
• केन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• जानासि: you know
• जानासि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन

• एष: this (one)
• एष: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; निर्देशवाचक

• ततः: then / therefore
• ततः: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तदनन्तरम्/तस्मात् (then/therefore)

• वद: tell (me)
• वद: Kriya (Command)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वद् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन

• अस्य: of this
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• लिंगस्य: of the liṅga
• लिंगस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Karta-predicative (Predicate nominal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• नाम: indeed / (emphasis)
• नाम: Discourse particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्न-निपात (emphatic particle in questions)

• प्रायः: generally / mostly
• प्रायः: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रायः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: generally/mostly)

• जाने: I know
• जाने: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, उत्तमपुरुष (1st), एकवचन

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

• वार्धकात्: from old age / due to senility
• वार्धकात्: Hetu/Apadana (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वार्धक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; हेतौ (ablative of cause)

Speaker

Skanda (narrating; dialogue quoted from the ascetic)

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga
• Prāsāda (temple)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Remembering a shrine’s origin and a liṅga’s name preserves sacred memory; even when human memory fades, tīrtha-kathā sustains dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

A particular Kāśī liṅga-shrine is in view (name to be clarified by the ensuing narrative).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it requests the shrine’s provenance and the liṅga’s specific name—key elements of sthala-māhātmya.