Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

प्रयागस्नानजात्पुण्याच्छूलटंक विलोकनात् । स प्राप्नुयान्न संदेहः पुण्यं कोटिगुणोत्तरम्

Transliteration

prayāgasnānajātpuṇyācchūlaṭaṃka vilokanāt | sa prāpnuyānna saṃdehaḥ puṇyaṃ koṭiguṇottaram

Translation

പ്രയാഗസ്നാനത്തിൽ ജനിക്കുന്ന പുണ്യവും ശൂലടങ്കദർശനവും കൊണ്ടു മനുഷ്യൻ സംശയമില്ലാതെ കോടിഗുണോത്തരമായ പുണ്യം പ്രാപിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• prayāga-snāna-jāta-puṇyāt: from the merit produced by bathing at Prayāga
• prayāga-snāna-jāta-puṇyāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prayāga (प्रातिपदिक) + snāna (प्रातिपदिक) + jāta (कृदन्त, √jan) + puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (प्रयागे स्नानेन जातं पुण्यं तस्मात्)

• śūla-ṭaṃka-vilokanāt: from the sight of Śūla-Ṭaṅka
• śūla-ṭaṃka-vilokanāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūla (प्रातिपदिक) + ṭaṃka (प्रातिपदिक) + vilokana (प्रातिपदिक; √lok)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (शूलटङ्कस्य विलोकनं तस्मात्)

• saḥ: he
• saḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• prāpnuyāt: would obtain
• prāpnuyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √āp (धातु) उपसर्गः प्र-
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Modifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• saṃdehaḥ: doubt
• saṃdehaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃdeha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• puṇyam: merit
• puṇyam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṇya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• koṭi-guṇa-uttaram: exceeding by ten million-fold
• koṭi-guṇa-uttaram: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: koṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + guṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + uttara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (कोटिगुणेन उत्तरं/अधिकम्)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa typically Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Śūlaṭaṅka

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim, fresh from sacred bathing merit, stands before the Śūlaṭaṅka shrine in Kāśī; the iconography suggests a trident-marked or trident-associated sacred spot, with priests offering lamps and the Ganga’s presence implied.

Characters & Entities

• Prayāga
• Śūlaṭaṅka
• Puṇya (merit)
• Darśana (beholding)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Purāṇic dharma extols darśana of Śiva as an extraordinary multiplier of the pilgrim’s accumulated merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prayāga (snāna) and Śūlaṭaṅka (darśana) associated with Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Perform Prayāga bathing and then behold (have darśana of) Śūlaṭaṅka.