Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 40

Devanagari script

कृत्तिवासेश्वरे लिंगे लभ्यस्त्वेकेन जन्मना । पृर्वजन्मकृतं पापं तपोदानादिभिः शनैः । नश्येत्सद्यो विनश्येत कृत्तिवासे श्वरेक्षणात्

Transliteration

kṛttivāseśvare liṃge labhyastvekena janmanā | pṛrvajanmakṛtaṃ pāpaṃ tapodānādibhiḥ śanaiḥ | naśyetsadyo vinaśyeta kṛttivāse śvarekṣaṇāt

Translation

കൃത്തിവാസേശ്വരലിംഗത്തിൽ (മോക്ഷം) ഒരേ ജന്മത്തിൽ തന്നെ ലഭ്യമാണ്. മുൻജന്മകൃത പാപം തപസ്സ്, ദാനം മുതലായവകൊണ്ട് ക്രമേണ നശിക്കും; എന്നാൽ കൃത്തിവാസേശ്വരനെ ദർശിക്കുന്നതുമാത്രത്തിൽ അത് ഉടൻ നശിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• कृत्तिवासेश्वरे: in/at Kṛttivāseśvara
• कृत्तिवासेश्वरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत्तिवास-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• लिङ्गे: in the liṅga
• लिङ्गे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• लभ्यः: obtainable
• लभ्यः: Visheshana (Predicate/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लभ् (धातु) → लभ्य (कृदन्त, यत्)
• Form: यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (passive potential) विशेषण; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘obtainable’

• तु: indeed/but
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण/विरोधार्थक (but/indeed)

• एकेन: by one
• एकेन: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण; पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• जन्मना: by (a single) birth
• जन्मना: Karana (Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

• पूर्व: previous
• पूर्व: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद

• जन्म: birth
• जन्म: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद

• कृतम्: committed
• कृतम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कृत (कृदन्त, क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘done/committed’ (समासान्त)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तपो: austerity
• तपो: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद

• दान: charity
• दान: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासपूर्वपद

• आदिभिः: and the like (by means of)
• आदिभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; ‘etc., and the like’ (तपोदानादिभिः = with austerity, charity, etc.)

• शनैः: gradually
• शनैः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: शनैः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb ‘gradually/slowly’)

• नश्येत्: may perish
• नश्येत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नश् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (सम्भावना/विधि), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• सद्यः: immediately
• सद्यः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सद्यः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (immediately)

• विनश्येत: would be destroyed
• विनश्येत: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-नश् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्, परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• कृत्तिवासेश्वर: of Kṛttivāseśvara
• कृत्तिवासेश्वर: Sambandha (Genitive in compound/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृत्तिवास-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषसमास-आधार; ‘of Kṛttivāseśvara’ (समासपूर्वपद in कृत्तिवासेश्वरेक्षणात्)

• ईक्षणात्: from (the act of) seeing
• ईक्षणात्: Apadana (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईक्षण (प्रातिपदिक; √ईक्ष्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान/हेतु), एकवचन; ‘from/through seeing’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kṛttivāseśvara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī or a sage interlocutor (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A split-time depiction: on one side, ascetics performing long tapas and donors giving gifts; on the other, a devotee simply beholds the Kṛttivāseśvara liṅga and a dark cloud of ‘pāpa’ dissolves instantly into light.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛttivāseśvara
• Darśana
• Dāna
• Tapas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s Kṛttivāseśvara is exalted as granting swift purification and even one-lifetime attainment compared to slower disciplines.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kṛttivāseśvara Liṅga in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana (beholding) is highlighted; tapas and dāna are acknowledged as gradual means.