Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

स्कंद उवाच । ज्येष्ठेश्वरस्य परितो यानि लिंगानि कुंभज । तानि पंचसहस्राणि मुनीनां सिद्धिदान्यलम्

Transliteration

skaṃda uvāca | jyeṣṭheśvarasya parito yāni liṃgāni kuṃbhaja | tāni paṃcasahasrāṇi munīnāṃ siddhidānyalam

Translation

സ്കന്ദൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—ഹേ കുംഭജ (അഗസ്ത്യ)! ജ്യേഷ്ഠേശ്വരനെ ചുറ്റിപ്പറ്റി സ്ഥിതിചെയ്യുന്ന ലിംഗങ്ങൾ അഞ്ചായിരം; അവ മുനിമാർക്ക് സിദ്ധി നൽകാൻ പൂർണ്ണസമർത്ഥമാണ്.

Word by Word

• स्कन्दः: Skanda
• स्कन्दः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (Singular), परस्मैपद

• ज्येष्ठेश्वरस्य: of Jyeṣṭheśvara
• ज्येष्ठेश्वरस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्येष्ठ-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन (Singular)

• परितः: around
• परितः: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण-भाव)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: परितः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्गार्थक-अव्यय/क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: ‘around’)

• यानि: which
• यानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), बहुवचन (Plural)

• लिङ्गानि: liṅgas (Śiva-emblems)
• लिङ्गानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), बहुवचन (Plural)

• कुम्भज: O Kumbhaja (Agastya)
• कुम्भज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुम्भज (प्रातिपदिक; संबोधन)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• तानि: those
• तानि: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), बहुवचन (Plural)

• पञ्चसहस्राणि: five-thousands (five thousand)
• पञ्चसहस्राणि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च-सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), बहुवचन (Plural); संख्यावाचक-विशेषण

• मुनीनाम्: of sages
• मुनीनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• सिद्धिदानि: granting accomplishments
• सिद्धिदानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सिद्धि-दान (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), बहुवचन (Plural); ‘सिद्धिं ददाति’ इति अर्थे

• अलम्: indeed; sufficiently
• अलम्: Prayojaka/Emphasis (Nipāta function/निपातार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अलम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle) — ‘पर्याप्तम्/समर्थम्’ (enough/indeed)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jyeṣṭheśvara-parisara (cluster of liṅgas)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya (Kumbhaja)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda instructs Agastya, describing thousands of liṅgas encircling Jyeṣṭheśvara—an aerial, map-like sacred topography of Kāśī with concentric shrine clusters and sages performing pradakṣiṇā.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Agastya (Kumbhaja)
• Jyeṣṭheśvara
• Śiva-liṅgas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s sacred landscape is densely sanctified; worship and darśana of its many liṅgas are powerful means to spiritual attainment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Jyeṣṭheśvara area in Kāśī, celebrated for numerous surrounding Śiva-liṅgas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, liṅga-darśana and liṅga-pūjā in the Jyeṣṭheśvara precinct as a siddhi-bestowing practice.