Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 15

Devanagari script

येषां समर्चनादेव मध्ये जन्म सकृद्विभो । लिंगानि पूजितानि स्युः काश्यां सर्वाणि निश्चितम्

Transliteration

yeṣāṃ samarcanādeva madhye janma sakṛdvibho | liṃgāni pūjitāni syuḥ kāśyāṃ sarvāṇi niścitam

Translation

ข้าแต่พระผู้เป็นใหญ่ ด้วยการบูชาลึงค์เหล่านั้นโดยถูกต้อง แม้มีเพียงชาติเดียวคั่นกลางก็เพียงพอ; เป็นที่แน่นอนว่าในกาศี ลึงค์ทั้งปวงย่อมประหนึ่งได้รับการบูชาแล้ว

Word by Word

• येषाम्: of whom
• येषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), बहुवचन (Plural), सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• समर्चनात्: from (their) proper worship
• समर्चनात्: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समर्चन (प्रातिपदिक; सम्+अर्च् धातु से भाववाचक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle/emphasis)

• मध्ये: in the midst/in between
• मध्ये: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• जन्म: birth
• जन्म: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular)

• सकृत्: once
• सकृत्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सकृत् (अव्यय)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

• विभो: O Lord
• विभो: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विभु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (Masculine), सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन (Singular)

• लिङ्गानि: liṅgas (Śiva-emblems)
• लिङ्गानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• पूजितानि: worshipped
• पूजितानि: Karta (Predicate adjective of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पूजित (कृदन्त; पूज् धातु (धातु) + क्त (past passive participle))
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nom./1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• स्युः: would be/should be
• स्युः: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural)

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन (Singular)

• सर्वाणि: all
• सर्वाणि: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• निश्चितम्: certain/definite
• निश्चितम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Assertive/predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निश्चित (कृदन्त; नि+चि धातु (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (PPP), नपुंसकलिङ्ग (Neuter), प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom./Acc.), एकवचन (Singular); वाक्ये क्रियाविशेषणवत् (as indeclinable-like predicate: 'certainly')

Speaker

Devī (Pārvatī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (outer) / within: Devī (Pārvatī) listening to Śiva

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee in Kāśī offers bilva leaves and water to a central liṅga while, in a subtle haloed panorama, innumerable liṅgas across the city shimmer as simultaneously worshipped; ghāṭs and temple spires frame the sacred field.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Śiva
• Kāśī
• Liṅgas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Focused devotion at the most potent sacred points can yield comprehensive spiritual results, compressing lifetimes of effort.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, where worship of certain principal liṅgas is said to confer the merit of worshiping all.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Samarcana (proper worship/pūjā) of the liṅgas in Kāśī.