Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

तत्रासीच्छ्रीफलाकारं लिंगमेकं सुगुप्तवत् । निधाय तत्र तं यावच्छवं संचिंतयेत्सुधीः

Transliteration

tatrāsīcchrīphalākāraṃ liṃgamekaṃ suguptavat | nidhāya tatra taṃ yāvacchavaṃ saṃciṃtayetsudhīḥ

Translation

そこには、シュリーファラ（椰子の実）の形をしたリンガがただ一つ、よく隠されているかのようにあった。彼をそこに横たえ、賢者は彼を屍のごとく思い定めて観想した。

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय

• आसीत्: was
• आसीत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• श्रीफलाकारम्: having the shape of a bilva fruit
• श्रीफलाकारम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रीफल + आकार (प्रातिपदिक-समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘श्रीफलस्य आकारः’

• लिङ्गम्: a liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• एकम्: one
• एकम्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; संख्याविशेषण

• सुगुप्तवत्: as if well-hidden
• सुगुप्तवत्: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सु + गुप्त (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक) + वत् (तद्धित)
• Form: अव्ययवत्-प्रयोगः/उपमानवाचक ‘-वत्’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (लिङ्गम् इति विशेष्य-सामानाधिकरण्य)

• निधाय: having placed
• निधाय: Purvakala (पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + धा (धातु) + क्त्वा (अव्ययकृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), ‘having placed’

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय

• तम्: him
• तम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-रूप (refers to the person)

• यावत्: until
• यावत्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/अवधि-वाचक-अव्यय (until/as long as)

• शवम्: a corpse
• शवम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• संचिन्तयेत्: should consider/think
• संचिन्तयेत्: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + चिन्त् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• सुधीः: a wise person
• सुधीः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुधी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘wise man’

Speaker

Skanda (narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gupta-Śiva-liṅga near Svargadvāra (as described)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka-ādi ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: On ash-covered ground stands a small, coconut-shaped liṅga, partly obscured by debris; the sage lays the bitten ascetic beside it, contemplating him as dead, while the liṅga subtly radiates.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga (śrīphala-ākāra)
• Mahāśmaśāna (context)
• Upajaṅghani (implicit)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even in the shadow of death, the presence of Śiva’s Liṅga in Kāśī signals concealed grace that can overturn despair.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse points to a particular (apparently hidden) Liṅga in the Mahāśmaśāna/Svargadvāra vicinity of Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; it describes placing the afflicted person near the Liṅga and the ensuing contemplation.