Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 95

Devanagari script

गायंती मधुरं गीतं नृत्यंती निजलीलया । ध्यायंती लिंगमोंकारं तत्र लिंगे लयं ययौ

Transliteration

gāyaṃtī madhuraṃ gītaṃ nṛtyaṃtī nijalīlayā | dhyāyaṃtī liṃgamoṃkāraṃ tatra liṃge layaṃ yayau

Translation

Sambil melantunkan nyanyian manis, menari dalam lila bhaktinya yang spontan, dan bermeditasi pada liṅga sebagai Oṃkāra, ia pun mencapai laya—lebur menyatu—ke dalam liṅga itu sendiri.

Word by Word

• गायन्ती: singing
• गायन्ती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गै (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकालिक कृदन्त (शतृ/शानच्-प्रत्यय; present participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• मधुरम्: sweet
• मधुरम्: Karman (Object qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मधुर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (गीतं विशेषयति)

• गीतम्: song
• गीतम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गीत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• नृत्यन्ती: dancing
• नृत्यन्ती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √नृत् (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकालिक कृदन्त (शतृ/शानच्-प्रत्यय; present participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• निज-लीलया: by her own playfulness
• निज-लीलया: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निज (प्रातिपदिक) + लीला (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः: निजा लीला = ‘one’s own play’

• ध्यायन्ती: meditating
• ध्यायन्ती: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ध्यै (धातु)
• Form: वर्तमानकालिक कृदन्त (शतृ/शानच्-प्रत्यय; present participle), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

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

• ओंकारम्: Oṃkāra (the syllable Oṃ)
• ओंकारम्: Karman (Object complement/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओंकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; लिङ्गम् इति विशेषणभावे अपि प्रयुज्यते (appositional/object complement)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Locative setting/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (स्थानवाचक)

• लिङ्गे: in the liṅga
• लिङ्गे: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th), एकवचन

• लयम्: absorption, dissolution
• लयम्: Karman (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• ययौ: went, attained
• ययौ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √या (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परोक्शभूत/perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Praṇaveśa (Oṃkāra-liṅga) in Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Inside a lamp-lit sanctum, Mādhavī sings and dances with spontaneous grace before the liṅga; her gaze turns inward as the Oṃkāra-liṅga seems to radiate; the moment culminates in her merging into the liṅga’s light.

Characters & Entities

• Oṃkāra (Praṇava)
• Śiva-liṅga (Oṃkāra-liṅga)
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Bhakti expressed through song, dance, and praṇava-meditation can culminate in liberation—absorption in Śiva—especially in Kāśī.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, in the context of the Oṃkāra-associated liṅga (Praṇaveśa/Oṃkāreśvara).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dhyāna on the liṅga as Oṃkāra, alongside devotional kīrtana (singing) and nṛtya (sacred dance).