Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 16

Devanagari script

अस्येशानस्य तल्लिंगं दृष्ट्वेच्छेत्यभवत्तदा । स्नपयामि महल्लिंगं कलशैः शीतलैर्जलैः

Transliteration

asyeśānasya talliṃgaṃ dṛṣṭvecchetyabhavattadā | snapayāmi mahalliṃgaṃ kalaśaiḥ śītalairjalaiḥ

Translation

Tatkala melihat liṅga Īśāna itu, serta-merta timbul hasrat: “Aku akan melakukan snāpana, memandikan Mahāliṅga ini dengan kalaśa berisi air yang sejuk.”

Word by Word

• अस्य: of this
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• ईशानस्य: of Īśāna (Śiva)
• ईशानस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईशान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga (emblem)
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• इच्छा: a desire
• इच्छा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इच्छा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/कर्ता), एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; इत्यादि-उद्धरणसूचक (quotative particle)

• अभवत्: arose/occurred
• अभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लङ् (imperfect/past), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• तदा: then
• तदा: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (temporal adverb)

• स्नपयामि: I bathe/shall bathe (cause to be bathed)
• स्नपयामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्नप् (धातु, णिच्)
• Form: लट् (present), उत्तमपुरुष (1st person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद; णिजन्त (causative)

• महत्: great
• महत्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन

• कलशैः: with pots
• कलशैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

• शीतलैः: cool
• शीतलैः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शीतल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन; विशेषण (कलशैः)

• जलैः: with water
• जलैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), बहुवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Īśāna-liṅga (within Kāśī, contextual)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A sage addressed as ‘muni’ in the surrounding narration

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee, upon beholding Īśāna’s great liṅga, forms an instant resolve and approaches with kalashas of cool water to perform abhiṣeka; the liṅga gleams as water streams descend.

Characters & Entities

• Īśāna
• Śiva-liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Darśana (seeing the liṅga) naturally flowers into sevā—devotion expresses itself as sacred action like abhiṣeka.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), where the liṅga of Īśāna is praised as supremely worthy of worship.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Snapana/abhiṣeka—bathing the Śiva-liṅga with water carried in kalaśas (pitchers).