Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 89

Devanagari script

लिंगत्रयशरीरिण्यास्तस्याः सान्निध्यतः स हि । दिव्यं वपुः समासाद्य राक्षसस्त्रिदिवं ययौ

Transliteration

liṃgatrayaśarīriṇyāstasyāḥ sānnidhyataḥ sa hi | divyaṃ vapuḥ samāsādya rākṣasastridivaṃ yayau

Translation

ത്രിശരീരിണിയായ ദേവിയുടെ സാന്നിധ്യമാത്രത്താൽ തന്നെ ആ രാക്ഷസൻ ദിവ്യദേഹം പ്രാപിച്ച് ത്രിദിവം, അഥവാ സ്വർഗ്ഗലോകം, പ്രാപിച്ചു।

Word by Word

• लिङ्गत्रयशरीरिण्याः: of (her) who has the three liṅgas as body
• लिङ्गत्रयशरीरिण्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग-त्रय-शरीरिणी (प्रातिपदिक; लिङ्ग + त्रय + शरीरिन्/शरीरिणी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (लिङ्गत्रयस्य शरीरं यस्याः)

• तस्याः: of her
• तस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• सान्निध्यतः: from (her) proximity
• सान्निध्यतः: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सान्निध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे—‘सान्निध्यतः’ = सान्निध्यात् (from proximity)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphatic)

• दिव्यम्: divine
• दिव्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दिव्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (वपुः-विशेषण)

• वपुः: body, form
• वपुः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वपुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• समासाद्य: having attained
• समासाद्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-आ-√सद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), अव्यय; ‘having attained/approached’

• राक्षसः: the demon
• राक्षसः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षस (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सः इति कर्तृपदस्य विशेषण/अपपद-सम्बन्धः

• त्रिदिवम्: to heaven (the three worlds)
• त्रिदिवम्: Karma (Goal as object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि-दिव (प्रातिपदिक; त्रि + दिव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (त्रयाणां दिवानां समाहारः/स्वर्गः)

• ययौ: went
• ययौ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √या (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly framed as Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A fearsome Rākṣasa stands near a radiant feminine sacred presence; his dark, coarse form dissolves into a luminous, divine body, ascending toward svarga with celestial attendants.

Characters & Entities

• Rākṣasa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Contact with sanctity (satsaṅga/sānnidhya) can elevate even the fallen; proximity to purity and dharma transforms destiny.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse occurs within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī setting; the implied glorification is of sacred presence and its power, though no named tīrtha appears.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None stated; it conveys a doctrinal point about proximity and transformation.