Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

इत्थं त्वष्टृतनूजस्य लिंगाराधनचेतसः । त्रिहायनात्प्रसन्नोभूत्तस्येशः करुणानिधिः

Transliteration

itthaṃ tvaṣṭṛtanūjasya liṃgārādhanacetasaḥ | trihāyanātprasannobhūttasyeśaḥ karuṇānidhiḥ

Translation

ഇങ്ങനെ ത്വഷ്ടൃപുത്രൻ ലിംഗാരാധനയിൽ മനസ്സു നിശ്ചലമാക്കി മൂന്നു വർഷം പൂർത്തിയാക്കിയപ്പോൾ, കരുണാനിധിയായ ഈശൻ അവനോട് പ്രസന്നനായി।

Word by Word

• इत्थम्: thus, in this manner
• इत्थम्: Sambandha (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इत्थम् (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of manner)

• त्वष्टृतनूजस्य: of Tvaṣṭṛ’s son
• त्वष्टृतनूजस्य: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्वष्टृ + तनूज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (त्वष्टुः तनूजः)

• लिङ्गाराधनचेतसः: of him whose mind was intent on worship of the liṅga
• लिङ्गाराधनचेतसः: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive qualifier/षष्ठी)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लिङ्ग + आराधन + चेतस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (लिङ्ग-आराधने चेतः यस्य) — ‘whose mind is on liṅga-worship’

• त्रिहायनात्: after three years
• त्रिहायनात्: Apadana (Time-source/काल-अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि + हायन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान/काल), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (त्रीणि हायनानि)

• प्रसन्नः: pleased
• प्रसन्नः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रसन्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (ईशः)

• अभूत्: became
• अभूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (Imperfect/past), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• ईशः: the Lord
• ईशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• करुणानिधिः: treasury of compassion
• करुणानिधिः: Karta (Apposition/कर्ता-विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: करुणा + निधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (करुणायाः निधिः)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration, typically Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A time-lapse sense: three years of daily liṅga worship; finally Śiva’s compassionate aura fills the shrine as the Lord becomes pleased.

Characters & Entities

• Tvaṣṭṛ
• Śiva (Īśa)
• Liṅga
• Karuṇā-nidhi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Long-term, focused worship ripens into divine pleasure; Śiva responds to perseverance with compassion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, where liṅga-upāsanā is presented as especially efficacious for receiving Śiva’s grace.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Sustained liṅga-ārādhana over an extended vow-like period (here, three years).