Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 66

Devanagari script

यात्रैकादशलिंगानामेषा कार्या प्रयत्नतः । इमां यात्रां प्रकुर्वाणो रुद्रत्वं प्राप्नुयान्नरः

Transliteration

yātraikādaśaliṃgānāmeṣā kāryā prayatnataḥ | imāṃ yātrāṃ prakurvāṇo rudratvaṃ prāpnuyānnaraḥ

Translation

ಈ ಹನ್ನೊಂದು ಲಿಂಗಗಳ ಯಾತ್ರೆಯನ್ನು ಪ್ರಯತ್ನಪೂರ್ವಕವಾಗಿ ಮಾಡಬೇಕು. ಈ ಯಾತ್ರೆಯನ್ನು ಮಾಡುವ ನರನು ರುದ್ರತ್ವವನ್ನು ಪಡೆಯುತ್ತಾನೆ.

Word by Word

• yātrā: pilgrimage
• yātrā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yātrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (fem. nom. sg.)

• ekādaśaliṃgānām: of the eleven liṅgas
• ekādaśaliṃgānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ekādaśa + liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन; द्विगु-समास (ekādaśa liṅgāni) (neut. gen. pl.)

• eṣā: this
• eṣā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम-विशेषण (fem. nom. sg.)

• kāryā: to be done
• kāryā: Viśeṣya (Predicate adjective/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: यत्/ण्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive: to be done); स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (fem. nom. sg.)

• prayatnataḥ: with effort
• prayatnataḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: prayatna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (adverb: with effort)

• imām: this
• imām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम-विशेषण (fem. acc. sg.)

• yātrām: pilgrimage
• yātrām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yātrā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (fem. acc. sg.)

• prakurvāṇaḥ: performing
• prakurvāṇaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + kṛ (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त वर्तमानकृदन्त (present active participle); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (masc. nom. sg.)

• rudratvam: Rudra-hood; state of Rudra
• rudratvam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rudratva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (neut. acc. sg.)

• prāpnuyāt: would attain/should attain
• prāpnuyāt: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + āp (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (opt. 3rd sg. P.)

• naraḥ: a man
• naraḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (masc. nom. sg.)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ekādaśa-liṅga-yātrā (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The yātrā’s completion: a pilgrim stands before a final liṅga with folded hands; above, a visionary form of Rudra appears, signifying transformation and union.

Characters & Entities

• Ekādaśa-liṅga
• Rudra
• Śiva
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Dedicated pilgrimage in Kāśī is not mere tourism; it is transformative, culminating in Rudra-like spiritual attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The collective circuit of the eleven Kāśī-liṅgas (Ekādaśa-liṅga-yātrā).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform the eleven-liṅga pilgrimage carefully and diligently (prayatnataḥ).