Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

ज्येष्ठस्थानं ततः काश्यां तदाभूदपि पुण्यदम् । तत्र लिंगं समभवत्स्वयं ज्येष्ठेश्वराभिधम्

Transliteration

jyeṣṭhasthānaṃ tataḥ kāśyāṃ tadābhūdapi puṇyadam | tatra liṃgaṃ samabhavatsvayaṃ jyeṣṭheśvarābhidham

Translation

Kemudian di Kāśī terwujudlah tempat suci bernama Jyeṣṭhasthāna, yang mengurniakan pahala kebajikan yang besar. Di sana sebuah liṅga menzahirkan diri dengan sendirinya, masyhur dengan nama Jyeṣṭheśvara.

Word by Word

• ज्येष्ठस्थानम्: the place called Jyeṣṭha / Jyeṣṭha-place
• ज्येष्ठस्थानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्येष्ठ + स्थान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ज्येष्ठस्य स्थानम्)

• ततः: then; thereafter
• ततः: Adhikarana (Context/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अव्यय-प्रकारः: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: 'then/from there')

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• तदा: at that time
• तदा: Adhikarana (Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (temporal adverb)

• अभूत्: became; came to be
• अभूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• अपि: also; even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle: 'also/even')

• पुण्यदम्: bestowing merit
• पुण्यदम्: Karta (Predicate complement/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पुण्य + द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुषः (पुण्यं ददाति इति)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (locative adverb: 'there')

• लिङ्गम्: a liṅga (Śiva emblem)
• लिङ्गम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• समभवत्: arose; came into being
• समभवत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; उपसर्ग: सम्-

• स्वयम्: of itself; spontaneously
• स्वयम्: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात/क्रियाविशेषण (reflexive adverb: 'by itself')

• ज्येष्ठेश्वराभिधम्: named ‘Jyeṣṭheśvara’
• ज्येष्ठेश्वराभिधम्: Karta (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्येष्ठ + ईश्वर + अभिध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ज्येष्ठेश्वर इति अभिधा यस्य)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśī-khaṇḍa context, Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jyeṣṭhasthāna (Jyeṣṭheśvara)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred quarter of Kāśī: a newly self-manifest liṅga rising from the earth/stone base, surrounded by lamps, bilva leaves, and astonished devotees; the city’s dense lanes and ghāṭa atmosphere implied in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Jyeṣṭhasthāna
• Jyeṣṭheśvara
• Śiva-liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī contains self-manifest Śiva-presences; merely knowing and honoring such a sthala is itself merit-giving.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Jyeṣṭhasthāna in Kāśī, where the svayaṃbhū liṅga named Jyeṣṭheśvara appeared.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed here; the verse establishes the origin and sanctity of the liṅga and place.