Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

सदा च लिंगपूजायां मम भक्तिरनुत्तमा । भव भूयाद्भवहर जरामरणहारिणी

Transliteration

sadā ca liṃgapūjāyāṃ mama bhaktiranuttamā | bhava bhūyādbhavahara jarāmaraṇahāriṇī

Translation

Dan semoga bhaktiku dalam pemujaan Liṅga sentiasa tiada bandingan. Wahai Bhava, wahai Bhavahara (penghapus putaran kelahiran duniawi), biarlah bhakti itu berkembang—bhakti yang memusnahkan tua dan mati.

Word by Word

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kāla (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्ययम् (always)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक-अव्ययम्

• लिङ्गपूजायाम्: in the worship of the Liṅga
• लिङ्गपूजायाम्: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग-पूजा (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सप्तमी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘लिङ्गस्य पूजा’

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• भक्तिः: devotion
• भक्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• अनुत्तमा: unsurpassed, supreme
• अनुत्तमा: Predicate (विशेष्य-विशेषण/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनुत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; विशेषणम् (भक्तिः)

• भव: be (O Lord)
• भव: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकारः (Imperative), मध्यम-पुरुषः, एकवचनम्; ‘भव’ = ‘be’ (addressing Śiva)

• भूयात्: may it be
• भूयात्: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ्-लकारः (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुषः, एकवचनम्; ‘भवेत्’ अर्थे

• भवहर: O remover of saṃsāra
• भवहर: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भव-हर (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन-प्रथमा (Vocative), एकवचनम्; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘भवस्य हरः’ (remover of worldly existence)

• जरामरणहारिणी: removing old age and death
• जरामरणहारिणी: Predicate (विशेष्य-विशेषण/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: जरा-मरण-हारिणी (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; ‘जरा’ च ‘मरण’ च (द्वन्द्व) तयोः हारिणी (removing); विशेषणम् (भक्तिः)

Speaker

Pulomā’s daughter (Paulomī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Viśveśvara liṅga)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages/devotees

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee performs liṅga-pūjā with bilva leaves and abhiṣeka; Śiva is invoked as Bhava-hara, with symbolic imagery of broken chains, fading wrinkles, and a calm deathless light.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga
• Bhava (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Supreme bhakti expressed through liṅga-pūjā is presented as the force that lifts one beyond saṃsāra, fear, and mortality.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī’s Śaiva sacrality is the background—liṅga-worship in Kāśī is repeatedly celebrated in the Kāśī-khaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-pūjā (worship of Śiva’s liṅga) is the explicit practice highlighted.