Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

न लिंगाराधनात्पुण्यं त्रिषुलोकेषु चापरम् । सर्वतीर्थाभिषेकः स्याल्लिंगस्नानांबु सेवनात्

Transliteration

na liṃgārādhanātpuṇyaṃ triṣulokeṣu cāparam | sarvatīrthābhiṣekaḥ syālliṃgasnānāṃbu sevanāt

Translation

ത്രിലോകങ്ങളിൽ ലിംഗാരാധനയെക്കാൾ ഉന്നതമായ പുണ്യം ഇല്ല; ലിംഗസ്നാനജലം സേവിച്ചാൽ സർവ്വതീർത്ഥാഭിഷേകഫലം ലഭിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Avyaya (Particle/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negative particle)

• लिङ्गाराधनात्: from liṅga-worship
• लिङ्गाराधनात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग + आराधन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी विभक्ति (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (लिङ्गस्य आराधनात्)

• पुण्यम्: merit
• पुण्यम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुण्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• त्रिषु: in the three
• त्रिषु: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: त्रि (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सप्तमी विभक्ति (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन; संख्यावाचक-विशेषण

• लोकेषु: worlds
• लोकेषु: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी विभक्ति (7th/सप्तमी), बहुवचन

• च: and
• च: Avyaya (Conjunction/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• अपरम्: other, superior/another
• अपरम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (1st/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण

• सर्वतीर्थाभिषेकः: bathing/ablution of all sacred places (i.e., equivalent to all tīrtha-ablutions)
• सर्वतीर्थाभिषेकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व + तीर्थ + अभिषेक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा विभक्ति (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (सर्वेषां तीर्थानाम् अभिषेकः)

• स्यात्: would be
• स्यात्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• लिङ्गस्नानाम्बु: water used for bathing the liṅga
• लिङ्गस्नानाम्बु: Karana (Instrumental sense in ablative construction/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग + स्नान + अम्बु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्ति (1st/2nd), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (लिङ्गस्य स्नानस्य अम्बु)

• सेवनात्: from drinking/using (it)
• सेवनात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेवन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी विभक्ति (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa norm)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Liṅga-snāna-ambu (abhiṣeka-tīrtha) in Kāśī context

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A Śiva-liṅga is bathed with streams of water; devotees collect a small portion of the abhiṣeka water as tīrtha, while the verse proclaims it equals ablution in all sacred places.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga (Śiva)
• Tīrthas (all sacred places)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotion to Śiva through Liṅga worship is declared the highest merit, surpassing other religious acts.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the implied sacred context; the verse also universalizes merit as equivalent to bathing in all tīrthas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅgābhiṣeka (bathing the Liṅga) and respectfully partaking of that sanctified water.