Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 83

Devanagari script

संस्थाप्य लिंगं श्रीशंभोः कूपं कृत्वा तदग्रतः । बहुकालं तपस्तेपे ध्यायन्विश्वेश्वरं प्रभुम्

Transliteration

saṃsthāpya liṃgaṃ śrīśaṃbhoḥ kūpaṃ kṛtvā tadagrataḥ | bahukālaṃ tapastepe dhyāyanviśveśvaraṃ prabhum

Translation

അവൻ ശ്രീശംഭുവിന്റെ ലിംഗം സ്ഥാപിച്ച് അതിന്റെ മുമ്പിൽ ഒരു കിണർ നിർമ്മിച്ചു; പ്രഭു വിശ്വേശ്വരനെ ധ്യാനിച്ചുകൊണ്ട് ദീർഘകാലം തപസ്സു ചെയ്തു।

Word by Word

• संस्थाप्य: having स्थापित (set up)
• संस्थाप्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-√sthā (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; उपसर्ग-सम् (sam-); पूर्वक्रिया

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga (Śiva-emblem)
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (accusative), एकवचन (sg.)

• श्रीशंभोः: of revered Śambhu
• श्रीशंभोः: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī + śambhu (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (genitive), एकवचन (sg.); कर्मधारय (venerable Śambhu)

• कूपम्: a well
• कूपम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (accusative), एकवचन (sg.)

• कृत्वा: having made
• कृत्वा: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √kṛ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्ययभाव; पूर्वक्रिया

• तत्: of that
• तत्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (genitive), एकवचन (sg.); सर्वनाम

• अग्रतः: in front (thereof)
• अग्रतः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: agratas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb: in front)

• बहुकालम्: for a long time
• बहुकालम्: Adhikarana (Time-extent/अधिकरण-काल)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bahu + kāla (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (accusative), एकवचन (sg.); कर्मधारय (much + time)

• तपः: austerity, penance
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (n.), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (accusative), एकवचन (sg.)

• तेपे: performed austerity
• तेपे: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √tap (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (sg.); आत्मनेपद

• ध्यायन्: meditating (upon)
• ध्यायन्: Karta (Agent-participle/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dhyai (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग (m.), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (nominative), एकवचन (sg.); परस्मैपदी

• विश्वेश्वरम्: Viśveśvara (Lord of all)
• विश्वेश्वरम्: Karma (Object of meditation/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśva + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (accusative), एकवचन (sg.); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (viśvasya īśvaraḥ = Lord of the universe)

• प्रभुम्: the Lord
• प्रभुम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prabhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (m.), द्वितीया-विभक्ति (accusative), एकवचन (sg.); अप्पोजिशन (apposition to viśveśvaram)

Speaker

Gaṇas (continuing narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viśveśvara-kṣetra (Kāśī) / Śukra-kūpa (implied by kūpa creation; not named in verse)

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Suvrata

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śukra installs a Śiva-liṅga, digs/constructs a well before it, and performs prolonged austerities, seated in meditation with the Viśveśvara temple aura around him.

Characters & Entities

• Śambhu
• Liṅga
• Kūpa (well)
• Viśveśvara
• Vārāṇasī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kāśī, steadfast worship of Śiva through liṅga-pratiṣṭhā, meditation, and tapas leads to divine grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Viśveśvara of Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), the central deity of the sacred city.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga स्थापना (installation), creation of a kūpa (well) as a devotional act, and prolonged tapas with dhyāna of Viśveśvara.