Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 24

Devanagari script

श्रद्धोपस्पर्शि दृदयलिंग त्रितयहेतुभिः । अज्ञानतिमिरार्काभैर्ज्ञानदान निदायकैः

Transliteration

śraddhopasparśi dṛdayaliṃga tritayahetubhiḥ | ajñānatimirārkābhairjñānadāna nidāyakaiḥ

Translation

श्रद्धेने स्पर्शिलेल्या कर्मांनी—त्रिविध पवित्र-चिन्हांचे कारण ठरणाऱ्या—आणि अज्ञानाचा अंधार सूर्याप्रमाणे दूर करणाऱ्या ज्ञानदानरूपी अर्घ्यांनी।

Word by Word

• śraddhā-upasparśi: (that which is) touched by faith / faith-contacting
• śraddhā-upasparśi: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śraddhā (प्रातिपदिक) + upasparśin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (ending -i, upasparśin-śabda) — Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular; adjectival

• hṛdaya-liṅga-tritaya-hetubhiḥ: by causes of the triad of heart and liṅga
• hṛdaya-liṅga-tritaya-hetubhiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: hṛdaya (प्रातिपदिक) + liṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + tritaya (प्रातिपदिक) + hetu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण — Masculine, Instrumental (3rd), Plural; adjectival (hetu-śabda)

• ajñāna-timira-arka-ābhaiḥ: by (things) having the radiance of a sun to the darkness of ignorance
• ajñāna-timira-arka-ābhaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ajñāna (प्रातिपदिक) + timira (प्रातिपदिक) + arka (प्रातिपदिक) + ābha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; विशेषण — Masculine, Instrumental, Plural; adjectival (ābha-śabda)

• jñāna-dāna: gift of knowledge
• jñāna-dāna: Karma/Viśeṣya (Object/Qualified noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna (प्रातिपदिक) + dāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular

• nidāyakaiḥ: by those who bestow/provide
• nidāyakaiḥ: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ni-√dā (धातु) + -yaka (कृत् प्रत्यय) → nidāyaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन; कर्तरि कृदन्त (ण्वुल्/यक-प्रत्ययार्थक) — Masculine, Instrumental, Plural; agentive derivative

Speaker

Narrative context (Kāśī Khaṇḍa tradition: Skanda to Agastya); immediate speaker not explicit in this verse

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/Śaunaka group (frame; immediate listener not explicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous Śiva-liṅga in Kāśī is worshipped with offerings symbolizing ‘threefold marks’ of sacred worship; rays of knowledge shine like a sun, pushing back a dark veil of ignorance around the devotees.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Faith-filled practice and the gift of knowledge are portrayed as powerful forces that remove the darkness of ignorance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within Kāśīkhaṇḍa Adhyāya 33, the wider passage culminates in the glorification of Śiva-tīrtha/Jñānoda in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

It highlights jñāna-dāna—offering or imparting knowledge—as a meritorious act aligned with tīrtha-mahātmya.