Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 57

Devanagari script

कालेश्वरं महालिंगं गंगायाः पश्चिमोत्तरे । प्रणम्य कालपाशेन नो बध्येत कदाचन

Transliteration

kāleśvaraṃ mahāliṃgaṃ gaṃgāyāḥ paścimottare | praṇamya kālapāśena no badhyeta kadācana

Translation

கங்கையின் வடமேற்கில் உள்ள மகாலிங்கமான காலேஸ்வரரை வணங்கினால், காலத்தின் (மரணத்தின்) பாசத்தால் எந்நேரமும் கட்டுப்படமாட்டான்।

Word by Word

• kāleśvaram: Kāleśvara
• kāleśvaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘कालस्य ईश्वरः’

• mahāliṃgam: the great liṅga
• mahāliṃgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः ‘महच्च तत् लिङ्गम्’

• gaṃgāyāḥ: of the Gaṅgā
• gaṃgāyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gaṃgā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• paścimottare: in the northwest
• paścimottare: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: paścima (प्रातिपदिक) + uttara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; द्वन्द्व-समासः (दिशोः) ‘पश्चिमे च उत्तरे च’ → ‘पश्चिमोत्तरे’ (locative)

• praṇamya: having bowed (to)
• praṇamya: Kriya (Non-finite verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra√nam (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्ययकृदन्त (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘having bowed’

• kālapāśena: by the noose of Time (Death)
• kālapāśena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + pāśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः ‘कालस्य पाशः’

• naḥ: not
• naḥ: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle: not)

• badhyeta: would be bound
• badhyeta: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bandh (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative/विधिलिङ्), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (passive sense) ‘would be bound’

• kadācana: ever; at any time
• kadācana: Kala-adhikarana (Time adjunct/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kadācana (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (adverb of time: ever/at any time)

Speaker

Skanda (contextual, Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāleśvara

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A great liṅga shrine marked as ‘Kāleśvara’; the Gaṅgā flows nearby; a devotee bows, while a symbolic noose (pāśa) dissolves into light above the liṅga, indicating release from Time’s bondage.

Characters & Entities

• Kāleśvara
• Gaṅgā
• Kālapāśa (noose of Time/Death)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva as Kāleśvara transcends Time; surrender to him in Kāśī is taught as liberation from fear and bondage to mortality.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāleśvara Mahāliṅga, located in the north-west direction relative to the Gaṅgā within the sacred landscape of Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Praṇāma (reverential bowing) to Kāleśvara is specified as the key act yielding the stated merit.