Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

ज्येष्ठस्थानं ततः काश्यां तदाभूदपि पुण्यदम् । तत्र लिंगं समभवत्स्वयं ज्येष्ठेश्वराभिधम्

Transliteration

jyeṣṭhasthānaṃ tataḥ kāśyāṃ tadābhūdapi puṇyadam | tatra liṃgaṃ samabhavatsvayaṃ jyeṣṭheśvarābhidham

Translation

അതിനുശേഷം കാശിയിൽ ‘ജ്യേഷ്ഠസ്ഥാനം’ എന്ന മഹാപുണ്യപ്രദമായ തീർത്ഥം ഉദിച്ചു. അവിടെ സ്വയംഭൂ ലിംഗം പ്രത്യക്ഷപ്പെട്ടു; അത് ‘ജ്യേഷ്ഠേശ്വരൻ’ എന്ന നാമത്തിൽ പ്രസിദ്ധമായി.

Word by Word

• ज्येष्ठस्थानम्: the place called Jyeṣṭha / Jyeṣṭha-place
• ज्येष्ठस्थानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्येष्ठ + स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ज्येष्ठस्य स्थानम्)

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: 'then/from there')

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• तदा: at that time
• तदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• अभूत्: became; came to be
• अभूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• अपि: also; even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle: 'also/even')

• पुण्यदम्: bestowing merit
• पुण्यदम्: Karta (Predicate complement/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य + द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (पुण्यं ददाति इति)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb: 'there')

• लिङ्गम्: a liṅga (Śiva emblem)
• लिङ्गम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• समभवत्: arose; came into being
• समभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; उपसर्ग: सम्-

• स्वयम्: of itself; spontaneously
• स्वयम्: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात/क्रियाविशेषण (reflexive adverb: 'by itself')

• ज्येष्ठेश्वराभिधम्: named ‘Jyeṣṭheśvara’
• ज्येष्ठेश्वराभिधम्: Karta (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्येष्ठ + ईश्वर + अभिध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ज्येष्ठेश्वर इति अभिधा यस्य)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśī-khaṇḍa context, Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jyeṣṭhasthāna (Jyeṣṭheśvara)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred quarter of Kāśī: a newly self-manifest liṅga rising from the earth/stone base, surrounded by lamps, bilva leaves, and astonished devotees; the city’s dense lanes and ghāṭa atmosphere implied in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Jyeṣṭhasthāna
• Jyeṣṭheśvara
• Śiva-liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī contains self-manifest Śiva-presences; merely knowing and honoring such a sthala is itself merit-giving.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Jyeṣṭhasthāna in Kāśī, where the svayaṃbhū liṅga named Jyeṣṭheśvara appeared.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; the verse establishes the origin and sanctity of the liṅga and place.