Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 8

Devanagari script

लिंगानि परितस्ताभिः स्वनाम्नास्थापि तान्यपि । तेषां संदर्शनात्पुंसां तासां स्नानफलं भवेत्

Transliteration

liṃgāni paritastābhiḥ svanāmnāsthāpi tānyapi | teṣāṃ saṃdarśanātpuṃsāṃ tāsāṃ snānaphalaṃ bhavet

Translation

ఆ (నదులు) దాని చుట్టూ తమ తమ నామాలతో లింగాలను కూడా స్థాపించాయి; వాటిని దర్శించడమే మనుష్యులకు ఆ నదుల్లో స్నానఫలాన్ని ఇస్తుంది।

Word by Word

• liṅgāni: liṅgas
• liṅgāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• paritas: all around
• paritas: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: paritas (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb) ‘around/on all sides’

• tābhiḥ: by those (women/rivers)
• tābhiḥ: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन (Plural); सर्वनाम

• sva-nāmnā: by (their) own name
• sva-nāmnā: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sva (प्रातिपदिक) + nāman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुष—‘स्वस्य नाम्ना’

• āsthā: as (named)
• āsthā: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: āsthā (अव्यय/उपपद)
• Form: अव्यय; उपपद/निपात—‘having as/with the name’ (here: ‘named as’)

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

• tāni: those (things)
• tāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural); सर्वनाम

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

• teṣām: of them
• teṣām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक/स्त्री (सर्वनाम), षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• saṃdarśanāt: from seeing (at the sight)
• saṃdarśanāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃ-darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

• puṃsām: of men
• puṃsām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṃs (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural)

• tāsām: of those (rivers)
• tāsām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural); सर्वनाम

• snāna-phalam: the fruit of bathing
• snāna-phalam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (प्रातिपदिक) + phala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुष—‘स्नानस्य फलम्’

• bhavet: would be, arises
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśī Khaṇḍa context, Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: River-named liṅgas around Triviṣṭapa (e.g., Sarasvatīśvara, Yamuneśa, Narmadeśa)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A central great liṅga with a ring of smaller liṅgas, each subtly marked by river emblems (waves, lotuses, fish) and attended by river-devis; pilgrims stand with folded hands, receiving merit through mere sight.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅgas named after rivers
• Darśana (sacred seeing)
• Snāna-phala (merit of bathing)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kāśī, sacred sight (darśana) itself becomes a purifier, granting tīrtha-merit even without physical bathing.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The cluster of river-associated Liṅgas established around the Triviṣṭapa Liṅga in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pilgrimage-darśana: simply visiting and seeing these Liṅgas is said to confer the fruit of bathing in the corresponding rivers.