Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 39

Devanagari script

प्रतिमासं समारभ्य तिथिं प्रतिपदं शुभाम् । एतेषां लिंगमुख्यानां कार्या यात्रा प्रयत्नतः

Transliteration

pratimāsaṃ samārabhya tithiṃ pratipadaṃ śubhām | eteṣāṃ liṃgamukhyānāṃ kāryā yātrā prayatnataḥ

Translation

प्रत्येक महिन्यात शुभ प्रतिपदा तिथीपासून आरंभ करून, या प्रमुख लिंगांची यात्रा प्रयत्नपूर्वक करावी.

Word by Word

• प्रति: each / per
• प्रति: Adhikarana (Temporal/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उपसर्ग/पूर्वपद-निपात (prepositional particle)

• मासम्: month
• मासम्: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; ‘प्रति’ इत्यनेन सह कालवाचकः

• समारभ्य: starting from
• समारभ्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्-आ-√रभ् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund), ‘having begun/starting from’

• तिथिम्: lunar day (tithi)
• तिथिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तिथि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• प्रतिपदम्: the first lunar day (Pratipadā)
• प्रतिपदम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रतिपद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; तिथिविशेषः

• शुभाम्: auspicious
• शुभाम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; तिथिम्/प्रतिपदम् इति विशेषणम्

• एतेषाम्: of these
• एतेषाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• लिङ्गमुख्यानाम्: of the foremost liṅgas
• लिङ्गमुख्यानाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लिङ्ग + मुख्य (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग (समूहवाचक-विशेषण), षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः (लिङ्गेषु मुख्याः)

• कार्या: should be performed
• कार्या: Predicate (Vidhi/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √कृ (धातु) + यत् (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृदन्त (यत्-प्रत्ययान्त, gerundive/obligatory), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; ‘to be done’

• यात्रा: pilgrimage / procession
• यात्रा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यात्रा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• प्रयत्नतः: with effort / diligently
• प्रयत्नतः: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रयत्न (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त (ablatival adverb) ‘with effort’

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Fourteen foremost liṅgas of Kāśī (liṅga-mukhya)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A monthly procession at dawn on Pratipadā: pilgrims with waterpots and bilva, moving from shrine to shrine, marking each stop with lamps and circumambulation.

Characters & Entities

• Pratipadā tithi
• Fourteen principal Liṅgas of Kāśī (implied)
• Ānandakānana/Kāśī (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation-oriented devotion is made practical through disciplined sacred travel: regular monthly pilgrimage to the principal liṅgas cultivates merit and steadfast bhakti.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī/Ānandakānana through the recommended yātrā (pilgrimage circuit) to its foremost liṅgas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A monthly observance: commence on the auspicious Pratipadā tithi and perform the yātrā to these principal liṅgas with diligence.