Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 71

Devanagari script

न गोशतप्रदानेन न स्वर्णशतदानतः । तत्फलं लभ्यते पुंभिर्यत्सकृल्लिंगपूजनात्

Transliteration

na gośatapradānena na svarṇaśatadānataḥ | tatphalaṃ labhyate puṃbhiryatsakṛlliṃgapūjanāt

Translation

നൂറു ഗോദാനം ചെയ്താലും അല്ല, നൂറു സ്വർണ്ണദാനം ചെയ്താലും അല്ല—പുരുഷന് ഒരിക്കൽ പോലും ലിംഗപൂജ ചെയ്താൽ ലഭിക്കുന്ന പുണ്യഫലം അതിനാൽ ലഭ്യമാകുകയില്ല.

Word by Word

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

• go-śata-pradānena: by the giving of a hundred cows
• go-śata-pradānena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: go (प्रातिपदिक) + śata (प्रातिपदिक) + pradāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गोशतस्य प्रदानेन)

• na: nor
• na: Sambandha (Discourse/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• svarṇa-śata-dānataḥ: from (i.e., by) the donation of a hundred pieces of gold
• svarṇa-śata-dānataḥ: Apadana (Ablative/source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: svarṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + śata (प्रातिपदिक) + dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; अव्ययीभाव-प्रायः प्रयोगः '...तः' = '...से/के कारण'; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (स्वर्णशतस्य दानतः)

• tat-phalam: that fruit/result
• tat-phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—'तत् एव फलम्'

• labhyate: is obtained
• labhyate: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √labh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (passive)

• puṃbhiḥ: by men
• puṃbhiḥ: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pumān (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• yat: which
• yat: Sambandha (Relative pronoun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, यद्-प्रत्ययान्त सर्वनाम; प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• sakṛt: once
• sakṛt: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sakṛt (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/परिमाणवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: once)

• liṅga-pūjanāt: from worship of the liṅga
• liṅga-pūjanāt: Apadana (Cause/source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + pūjana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (लिङ्गस्य पूजनात्)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī / Viśveśvara-kṣetra (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim in Kāśī offers bilva leaves and water to a shining liṅga while heaps of gold and cows appear in the background as lesser alternatives, visually subordinated to the act of worship.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga
• Dāna (cow-gift, gold-gift)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devotional worship of Śiva is portrayed as yielding a merit surpassing even great acts of charity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśī-māhātmya backdrop highlights liṅga worship’s special potency in Vārāṇasī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-pūjā (even once) is recommended as a highly fruitful practice, surpassing large donations.