Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 180

Devanagari script

स्कंद उवाच । ब्रह्मापि भजतेद्यापि तल्लिंगं कलशोद्भव । स्तुवन्ब्रह्म स्तवेनैव स्वात्मना विहितेन हि

Transliteration

skaṃda uvāca | brahmāpi bhajatedyāpi talliṃgaṃ kalaśodbhava | stuvanbrahma stavenaiva svātmanā vihitena hi

Translation

സ്കന്ദൻ അരുളിച്ചെയ്തു—ഹേ കലശോദ്ഭവ അഗസ്ത്യാ! ഇന്നും ബ്രഹ്മാവ് ആ ലിംഗത്തെ ഭജിക്കുന്നു; സ്വയം രചിച്ച ഈ സ്തവംകൊണ്ട് പരബ്രഹ്മത്തെ സ്തുതിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• स्कन्दः: Skanda
• स्कन्दः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (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

• ब्रह्मा: Brahmā
• ब्रह्मा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; also/even)

• भजते: worships/serves
• भजते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• इद्य: today/now (as read)
• इद्य: —
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इद्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत्/विशेषणरूपेण; (पाठभेदः: इदानीम्/अद्य)

• अपि: even
• अपि: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; even/also)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् ‘लिङ्गम्’

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

• कलशोद्भव: O one born from the pot (Agastya)
• कलशोद्भव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलश + उद्भव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, संबोधन-विभक्ति (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• स्तुवन्: praising
• स्तुवन्: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्तु (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्ययान्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ब्रह्म: Brahman/the Absolute (or Brahmā, as object)
• ब्रह्म: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• स्तवेन: with a hymn
• स्तवेन: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्तव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• स्वात्मना: by his own self
• स्वात्मना: Karaṇa (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• विहितेन: prescribed/ordained
• विहितेन: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + धा (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) ‘विहित’; नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘स्तवेन’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• हि: indeed
• हि: —
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle; indeed)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-liṅga (contextual: Viśveśvara/Oṃkāra-linked liṅga)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya (Kalāśodbhava)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda instructs Agastya; in a parallel vignette, Brahmā is shown worshipping a radiant liṅga with flowers and water, reciting a hymn emanating as visible script or sound-waves.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Brahmā
• Liṅga
• Agastya (Kalaśodbhava)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even the highest deities uphold devotion and regular worship; stotra and pūjā remain perennial spiritual disciplines.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī’s Liṅga-presence (within the Ānandavana/Kāśī setting of the chapter).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Continued Liṅga-bhajana (worship) and stotra-recitation as a sanctioned devotional practice.