Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

अपरः को वरो देयस्तव तं प्रार्थयाश्वहो । तवादेयं न मे किंचिल्लिंगार्चनरतस्य हि

Transliteration

aparaḥ ko varo deyastava taṃ prārthayāśvaho | tavādeyaṃ na me kiṃcilliṃgārcanaratasya hi

Translation

നിനക്ക് മറ്റെന്ത് വരം നല്‍കണം? അതു ഉടന്‍ അപേക്ഷിക്കൂ. ലിംഗാര്‍ച്ചനയില്‍ രതനായ നിനക്കായി എനിക്ക് നല്‍കാനാകാത്തത് ഒന്നുമില്ല।

Word by Word

• अपरः: another; any other
• अपरः: Karta (Subject-qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अपर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• कः: who/what (which)
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• वरः: boon
• वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• देयः: to be given; grantable
• देयः: Karta (Predicate-adjective/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दा (धातु) + यत् (कृत्-प्रत्यय) → देय (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषणम्; कर्मणि-भावे (gerundive: 'to be given')

• तव: for you; of you
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• तम्: that (boon)
• तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्म

• प्रार्थय: ask; request
• प्रार्थय: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + अर्थय् (धातु; denom. from अर्थ)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन

• आशु: quickly
• आशु: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रिया-विशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आशु (अव्यय)
• Form: काल/रीतिवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: quickly)

• अहो: indeed!
• अहो: Sambandha (Exclamation/उद्गार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अहो (अव्यय)
• Form: विस्मय/उद्गार-अव्यय (exclamatory particle)

• तव: of you; for you
• तव: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• आदेयम्: something to be accepted/taken
• आदेयम्: Karta (Predicate-noun/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आ + दा (धातु) + यत् (कृत्) → आदेय (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय-नाम (predicate noun); 'to be taken/accepted'

• न: not
• न: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• मे: of me; for me
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• किञ्चित्: anything
• किञ्चित्: Karta (Predicate/कर्ता-समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; अनिश्चितवाचक (indefinite)

• लिङ्गार्चनरतस्य: of one devoted to worship of the liṅga
• लिङ्गार्चनरतस्य: Sambandha (Genitive-qualifier/सम्बन्ध-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लिङ्ग + अर्चन (प्रातिपदिक) + रत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (me इत्यस्य)

• हि: indeed; for
• हि: Sambandha (Emphasis/निश्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/हेतुवाचक-अव्यय (emphatic/causal particle)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A compassionate boon-giver leans forward, inviting the devotee to ask; the liṅga is freshly worshipped with bilva, flowers, and flowing abhiṣeka; the atmosphere is intimate and grace-filled.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga
• Śiva (implied)
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liṅga-worship is praised as a direct path to divine favor; sincere Śaiva devotion makes grace abundant and unobstructed.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa framework, Kāśī is upheld as the foremost Śaiva sacred space where Liṅga-worship is especially potent.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅgārcana (worship of the Śiva-liṅga) is explicitly mentioned as the devotional practice associated with receiving boons.