Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

ततोपि दुर्लभं काश्यां लिंगं गंगेश्वराभिधम् । यस्य संदर्शनं पुंसां भवेत्पापक्षयाय वै

Transliteration

tatopi durlabhaṃ kāśyāṃ liṃgaṃ gaṃgeśvarābhidham | yasya saṃdarśanaṃ puṃsāṃ bhavetpāpakṣayāya vai

Translation

കാശിയിൽ ഇതിലും ദുർലഭമായ ‘ഗംഗേശ്വര’ എന്ന ലിംഗം ഉണ്ട്; അതിന്റെ ദർശനമാത്രം കൊണ്ടുതന്നെ മനുഷ്യരുടെ പാപക്ഷയം സംഭവിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• tataḥ: thereafter/than that
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable adverb): ‘thereafter/than that’

• api: even/also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle): ‘also/even’

• durlabham: rare, hard to obtain
• durlabham: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur-labha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (Neuter Nom/Acc Sg); विशेषणम् (qualifier)

• kāśyām: in Kāśī
• kāśyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचन (Locative Sg)

• liṅgam: liṅga (Śiva-emblem)
• liṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (Nom/Acc Sg)

• gaṅgeśvara-abhidham: named ‘Gaṅgeśvara’
• gaṅgeśvara-abhidham: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gaṅgā-īśvara + abhidha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (Nom/Acc Sg); विशेषणम्—‘called/named’

• yasya: of which/whose
• yasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी एकवचन (Genitive Sg); सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• saṃdarśanam: seeing, दर्शन
• saṃdarśanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃ-darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (Nominative Sg)

• puṃsām: of men/people
• puṃsām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṃs (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी बहुवचन (Genitive Pl)

• bhavet: would be/becomes
• bhavet: Kriya (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (3rd sg)

• pāpa-kṣayāya: for the destruction of sins
• pāpa-kṣayāya: Sampradana (Purpose/recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa + kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी एकवचन (Dative Sg); प्रयोजन (purpose)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (emphatic particle)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgeśvara (Liṅga)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim approaches a small but radiant Śiva-liṅga titled ‘Gaṅgeśvara’ within Kāśī; Gaṅgā’s presence is implied through water vessels, river motifs, and priests offering bilva and lamps; the atmosphere is dense with sanctity and rarity.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Gaṅgeśvara
• Śiva-liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even simple, faith-filled darśana of a revered Kāśī liṅga is taught to have strong purifying power, reducing accumulated sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gaṅgeśvara Śiva-liṅga in Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), praised as exceptionally rare and spiritually potent.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No detailed rite is prescribed; the act emphasized is darśana (seeing/visiting) the Gaṅgeśvara liṅga.