Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 72

Devanagari script

अश्वमेधादिभिर्यागैर्न तत्फलमवाप्यते । यत्फलं लभ्यते मर्त्यैर्नित्यं लिंगप्रपूजनात्

Transliteration

aśvamedhādibhiryāgairna tatphalamavāpyate | yatphalaṃ labhyate martyairnityaṃ liṃgaprapūjanāt

Translation

अश्वमेधादि यज्ञांनीही ते फळ मिळत नाही; मर्त्यांना नित्य श्रद्धेने लिंगाची प्रपूजा केल्याने जे फळ प्राप्त होते, तेच अद्वितीय आहे.

Word by Word

• aśvamedha-ādibhiḥ: by Aśvamedha and other (rites)
• aśvamedha-ādibhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aśvamedha (प्रातिपदिक) + ādi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (आदि-शब्देन समाहारः: 'अश्वमेधादयः')

• yāgaiḥ: by sacrifices
• yāgaiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yāga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Discourse/particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• tat-phalam: that result
• tat-phalam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—'तत् एव फलम्'

• avāpyate: is attained
• avāpyate: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava-√āp (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (passive)

• yat-phalam: which fruit/result
• yat-phalam: Sambandha (Relative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yat (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—'यत् फलम्' (relative)

• labhyate: is obtained
• labhyate: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √labh (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (passive)

• martyaiḥ: by mortals
• martyaiḥ: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: martya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• nityam: always
• nityam: Sambandha (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययभावे द्वितीया-एकवचन (adverbial accusative): 'नित्यं' = always

• liṅga-prapūjanāt: from thorough worship of the liṅga
• liṅga-prapūjanāt: Apadana (Cause/source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + prapūjana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (लिङ्गस्य प्रपूजनात्)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī / Viśveśvara (contextual)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contrast tableau: a grand Aśvamedha arena with priests and a horse fades behind a foreground devotee performing daily liṅga-arcana with lamp and bilva, indicating higher fruit in humble constancy.

Characters & Entities

• Aśvamedha
• Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady daily devotion is valued above spectacular ritual grandeur; constancy in worship brings the highest fruit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the implied sacred landscape where Śiva-liṅga worship is especially extolled.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Practice ‘nityaṃ liṅga-prapūjanam’—regular, devoted worship of the Śiva-liṅga.