Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 82

Devanagari script

यो निष्पापेश्वरं लिंगं तत्र पश्यति मानवः । निष्पापो जायते वीर स तल्लिंगेक्षणात्क्षणात्

Transliteration

yo niṣpāpeśvaraṃ liṃgaṃ tatra paśyati mānavaḥ | niṣpāpo jāyate vīra sa talliṃgekṣaṇātkṣaṇāt

Translation

ഹേ വീരാ! അവിടെ നിഷ്പാപേശ്വര ലിംഗം ദർശിക്കുന്ന മനുഷ്യൻ, ആ ലിംഗദർശനമാത്രത്താൽ തന്നെ ക്ഷണത്തിൽ പാപരഹിതനാകുന്നു.

Word by Word

• यः: who (he who)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम (relative pronoun)

• निष्पापेश्वरम्: the Lord called Niṣpāpa (sinless-lord)
• निष्पापेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निष्पाप + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषण (liṅga-विशेषण)

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

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• पश्यति: sees
• पश्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• मानवः: a man
• मानवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मानव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• निष्पापः: sinless
• निष्पापः: Kartṛ-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement/कर्तृसमानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निष्पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (predicate adjective)

• जायते: becomes / is born
• जायते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: जन् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• वीर: O hero
• वीर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; संकेत-सर्वनाम (demonstrative pronoun)

• तत्-लिङ्ग-ईक्षणात्: from seeing that liṅga
• तत्-लिङ्ग-ईक्षणात्: Apadana (Source/Cause/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + ईक्षण (प्रातिपदिक; √ईक्ष्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; हेत्वर्थ-अपादान (cause/source)

• क्षणात्: immediately / in an instant
• क्षणात्: Apadana (Point of time/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; कालवाचक (temporal)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Niṣpāpeśvara

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim stands before the Niṣpāpeśvara liṅga in a small Kāśī shrine; lamps flicker, bilva leaves and water offerings glisten; the pilgrim’s face shows sudden relief and serenity as if a burden has fallen away.

Characters & Entities

• Niṣpāpeśvara
• Śiva (liṅga)
• Kāśī (implied context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva-darśana in Kāśī is portrayed as immediately purifying; sincere sight (darśana) itself is a dharmic means of inner cleansing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Niṣpāpeśvara—Śiva’s liṅga associated with instant removal of sin, within the Kāśī sacred landscape.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No dāna or vrata is specified here; the act emphasized is darśana—beholding the Niṣpāpeśvara liṅga.