Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

न मया स्थापितं लिंगं कृत्वा देवालयं शुभम । यस्मिन्संस्थापिते लिंगो विश्वं संस्थापितं भवेत्

Transliteration

na mayā sthāpitaṃ liṃgaṃ kṛtvā devālayaṃ śubhama | yasminsaṃsthāpite liṃgo viśvaṃ saṃsthāpitaṃ bhavet

Translation

吉祥なる देवालय（神殿）を建てながら、私はリンガ（liṅga）を安置しなかった。しかもリンガが正しく स्थापित（安置）されれば、あたかも宇宙そのものが確立されるかのようである。

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• sthāpitam: installed
• sthāpitam: Karma (Predicate of object/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'placed/installed'

• liṅgam: liṅga (Śiva-emblem)
• liṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• kṛtvā: having made
• kṛtvā: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial to main action/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), 'having done/made'

• devālayam: a temple
• devālayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: deva (प्रातिपदिक) + ālaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; देवानाम् आलयः (temple)

• śubham: auspicious
• śubham: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śubha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying देवालयम्)

• yasmin: in which
• yasmin: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक (relative pronoun: 'in which')

• saṃsthāpite: when (it is) installed
• saṃsthāpite: Adhikarana (Locative absolute/अधिकरण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√sthā (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग-सम्भव; 'when installed/being installed' (locative absolute sense)

• liṅgaḥ: the liṅga
• liṅgaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• viśvam: the universe
• viśvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• saṃsthāpitam: established
• saṃsthāpitam: Karma (Predicate/कर्म)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√sthā (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'established'

• bhavet: would be
• bhavet: Kriya (Main verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (Śaiva liṅga tradition)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A newly built stone temple courtyard; priests prepare for liṅga-pratiṣṭhā with kalaśas, flowers, and Vedic fires; above, a subtle cosmic mandala suggests ‘universe established’.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Establishing Śiva worship through liṅga installation and temple-building is portrayed as supremely stabilizing and world-supporting merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśīkhaṇḍa framework glorifies Kāśī and Śaiva sacred space; this verse highlights temple and liṅga installation generally.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-sthāpana (installation) in an auspicious devālaya (temple), i.e., pratisthā-related merit.