Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

सरश्च सुप्रतीकाख्यं तत्पुरो भासते महत् । तत्र स्नात्वा च तल्लिंगं दृष्ट्वा दिक्पतितां लभेत्

Transliteration

saraśca supratīkākhyaṃ tatpuro bhāsate mahat | tatra snātvā ca talliṃgaṃ dṛṣṭvā dikpatitāṃ labhet

Translation

അതിന്റെ മുൻപിൽ സുപ്രതീക എന്ന പേരിലുള്ള മഹാസരോവർ ദീപ്തമായി ഭാസിക്കുന്നു. അവിടെ സ്നാനം ചെയ്ത് ആ ലിംഗം ദർശിച്ചാൽ ദിക്പതിത്വം ലഭിക്കും.

Word by Word

• सरः: a lake
• सरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सरस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• सुप्रतीकाख्यम्: named Supratīka
• सुप्रतीकाख्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुप्रतीक + आख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः सुप्रतीक इति आख्यं (नाम) (तत्पुरुषः)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (पुरः इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• पुरः: in front
• पुरः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण ‘in front’

• भासते: shines/appears
• भासते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भास् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

• महत्: great/large
• महत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• स्नात्वा: having bathed
• स्नात्वा: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्ना (धातु) त्वा-प्रत्यय
• Form: कृदन्त; त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Coordination)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (conjunction)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन (लिङ्गम् इत्यस्य विशेषणम्)

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दृश् (धातु) त्वा-प्रत्यय
• Form: कृदन्त; त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund)

• दिक्पतिताम्: the status of a lord of the directions
• दिक्पतिताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिक् + पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः दिक्षां पतिः (दिक्पतिः) (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः); ‘-ताम्’ = भाव/अवस्था (state) अर्थे

• लभेत्: would obtain
• लभेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √लभ् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda instructing Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Supratīka-saras

Type: kund

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Kāśī-māhātmya audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A broad, shining lake with steps; pilgrims bathe at dawn, mist rising; beyond the waterline stands the Supratīkeśvara shrine. A subtle mandala of eight directions glows, hinting at dikpati attainment.

Characters & Entities

• Supratīka-saras
• Supratīkeśvara
• Dikpati
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī tīrthas confer not only inner purification but also exalted honor and authority, symbolized by dikpati status.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Supratīka-saras (the lake) and the associated liṅga (Supratīkeśvara) in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snāna in Supratīka-saras and darśana of the liṅga.