Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

महोदरोपि तत्प्राच्यां शिवध्यानपरायणः । महोदरेश्वरं लिंगं ध्यायेदद्यापि कुंभज

Transliteration

mahodaropi tatprācyāṃ śivadhyānaparāyaṇaḥ | mahodareśvaraṃ liṃgaṃ dhyāyedadyāpi kuṃbhaja

Translation

ಹೇ ಕುಂಭಜ (ಅಗಸ್ತ್ಯ), ಪೂರ್ವ ದಿಕ್ಕಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಶಿವಧ್ಯಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ಪರಾಯಣನಾದ ಮಹೋದರನು ಇಂದಿಗೂ ‘ಮಹೋದರೇಶ್ವರ’ ಲಿಂಗವನ್ನು ಧ್ಯಾನಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ।

Word by Word

• महोदरः: Mahodara (a proper name)
• महोदरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महोदर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha/Modifier (सम्बन्ध/विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थे (also/even)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन; विशेषणरूपेण ‘प्राच्याम्’ इत्यस्य निर्देशः (deictic)

• प्राच्याम्: in the eastern (quarter/side)
• प्राच्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राची (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• शिवध्यानपरायणः: devoted to meditation on Śiva
• शिवध्यानपरायणः: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शिव-ध्यान-परायण (प्रातिपदिक; शिव + ध्यान + परायण)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nom./1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् ‘महोदरः’ इत्यस्य

• महोदरेश्वरम्: Mahodareśvara (name of Śiva)
• महोदरेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महोदर-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; महोदर + ईश्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga, emblem
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Acc./2nd), एकवचन; ‘महोदरेश्वरम्’ इत्यस्य अपि विशेष्य-सम्बन्धः

• ध्यायेत्: should meditate (upon)
• ध्यायेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ध्यै (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

• अद्यापि: even today, still
• अद्यापि: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अद्य + अपि (अव्यय-समासवत् प्रयोगः)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb): ‘even today/still’

• कुम्भज: O Kumbhaja (Agastya)
• कुम्भज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुम्भज (प्रातिपदिक; कुम्भ + ज)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue context; explicit speaker appears at 42)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahodareśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya (Kumbhaja)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In the eastern quarter of Kāśī, sage Mahodara sits in unwavering meditation before the Mahodareśvara liṅga; dawn light, incense, and a quiet shrine atmosphere suggest timeless worship.

Characters & Entities

• Mahodara
• Śiva
• Mahodareśvara
• Agastya (Kumbhaja)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady meditation on Śiva, anchored in a sacred site, is upheld as an enduring path to spiritual auspiciousness.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Mahodareśvara liṅga associated with Kāśī’s sacred geography (eastern quarter reference).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dhyāna (meditation) upon the Mahodareśvara liṅga is emphasized.