Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 31

Devanagari script

मानवानां हितायात्र स्थास्येहं सपरिग्रहः । दृष्टेनानेन लिंगेन पूजितेन स्तुतेन च । कृतकृत्यो भवेन्मर्त्यः संसारं न विशेत्पुनः

Transliteration

mānavānāṃ hitāyātra sthāsyehaṃ saparigrahaḥ | dṛṣṭenānena liṃgena pūjitena stutena ca | kṛtakṛtyo bhavenmartyaḥ saṃsāraṃ na viśetpunaḥ

Translation

เพื่อเกื้อกูลแก่มนุษย์ เราจักสถิตอยู่ที่นี่พร้อมบริวารของเรา เพียงได้เห็นลึงค์นี้ และได้บูชาและสรรเสริญ มนุษย์ย่อมสำเร็จความหมายแห่งชีวิต และไม่กลับเข้าสู่สังสารวัฏอีก

Word by Word

• mānavānām: of humans
• mānavānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन

• hitāya: for the welfare
• hitāya: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4), एकवचन; dative (for welfare)

• atra: here
• atra: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; adverb (here)

• sthāsyāmi: I shall remain/stand
• sthāsyāmi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sthā (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (simple future), उत्तमपुरुष (1st), एकवचन; parasmaipada

• aham: I
• aham: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• saparigrahaḥ: with retinue/with possessions
• saparigrahaḥ: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa- (उपसर्ग/पूर्वपद) + parigraha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (parigrahaḥ saha = ‘with attendants/possessions’)

• dṛṣṭena: by (its) being seen
• dṛṣṭena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dṛś (धातु) + dṛṣṭa (क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; past passive participle used instrumentally (by being seen)

• anena: by this
• anena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; instrumental (by this)

• liṅgena: by the liṅga
• liṅgena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन

• pūjitena: by (its) being worshipped
• pūjitena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pūj (धातु) + pūjita (क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; past passive participle, instrumental

• stutena: by (its) being praised
• stutena: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: stu (धातु) + stuta (क्त-कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), एकवचन; past passive participle, instrumental

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; conjunction (and)

• kṛtakṛtyaḥ: one who has fulfilled his duty
• kṛtakṛtyaḥ: Pradhana-predicative (Predicate/विशेष्य-विशेषणभाव)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: kṛta (कृ-धातु, क्त-कृदन्त) + kṛtya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (kṛtaṃ kṛtyaṃ yena/whose duty is done) used as predicate adjective

• bhavet: would become
• bhavet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; parasmaipada

• martyaḥ: a mortal
• martyaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: martya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन

• saṃsāram: saṃsāra (cycle of rebirth)
• saṃsāram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃsāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

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

• viśet: would enter
• viśet: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: viś (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; parasmaipada

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; adverb (again)

Speaker

Īśvara (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kṛttivāseśvara

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis / pilgrims

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva enthroned in subtle, formless presence around the liṅga, surrounded by gaṇas and attendant divinities; a pilgrim receives darśana, offers flowers and lamp, and recites hymns—depicted as breaking the wheel of saṃsāra.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Kṛttivāseśvara Liṅga
• Kāśī (Avimukta)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kāśī, simple acts—darśana, pūjā, and stuti—are exalted as direct means to liberation through Śiva’s abiding grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kṛttivāseśvara liṅga in Avimukta-Kāśī (Vārāṇasī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana (seeing the liṅga), pūjā (worship), and stuti (praise/recitation) are explicitly stated as spiritually efficacious.