Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

अगस्त्य उवाच । रत्नेश्वरसमुत्पतिं कथयस्व षडानन । रत्नभूतं महालिंगं यत्काश्यां परिवर्ण्यते

Transliteration

agastya uvāca | ratneśvarasamutpatiṃ kathayasva ṣaḍānana | ratnabhūtaṃ mahāliṃgaṃ yatkāśyāṃ parivarṇyate

Translation

അഗസ്ത്യൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ഹേ ഷഡാനന! രത്നേശ്വരന്റെ ഉദ്ഭവം പറയുക; കാശിയിൽ പ്രശസ്തമായ ആ രത്നമയ മഹാലിംഗത്തെ വിവരണം ചെയ്യുക।

Word by Word

• अगस्त्यः: Agastya
• अगस्त्यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अगस्त्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• रत्नेश्वर: Ratneśvara (Lord of jewels)
• रत्नेश्वर: Sambandha (Relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रत्न + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (Genitive determinative); प्रातिपदिक (compound base)

• समुत्पतिम्: origin, arising
• समुत्पतिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समुत्पत्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• कथयस्व: tell (please)
• कथयस्व: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथय् (धातु; कथ् + णिच्)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• षडानन: O Six-faced one (Skanda)
• षडानन: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: षड् + आनन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि—‘षडाननः यस्य सः’

• रत्नभूतम्: made of jewels
• रत्नभूतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रत्न + भूत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण—‘रत्नरूपम्’

• महालिङ्गम्: the great liṅga
• महालिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय—‘महच्च तत् लिङ्गम्’

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

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

• परिवर्ण्यते: is described
• परिवर्ण्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वर्ण् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Passive), आत्मनेपद

Speaker

Agastya

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ratneśvara (Kāśī)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Skanda (Ṣaḍānana)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Agastya, seated in a hermitage-like setting, asks Ṣaḍānana (Skanda) about Ratneśvara, the jewel-made great liṅga praised in Kāśī; the background hints at ghāṭas and temple spires of Vārāṇasī.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Ṣaḍānana
• Ratneśvara
• Kāśī
• Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Inquiry into a sacred site’s liṅga-māhātmya is itself a devotional act that opens the way to understanding Kāśī’s salvific power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ratneśvara Mahāliṅga in Kāśī (Vārāṇasī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; it initiates the māhātmya narration of Ratneśvara.