Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 98

Devanagari script

लीनं मृग्येत यत्रैतदाब्रह्मस्तंबभाजनम् । अतः स भाज्यते सद्भिर्यल्लिंगं तद्विलोकितम्

Transliteration

līnaṃ mṛgyeta yatraitadābrahmastaṃbabhājanam | ataḥ sa bhājyate sadbhiryalliṃgaṃ tadvilokitam

Translation

ณ ที่ซึ่งสรรพจักรวาลนี้—ตั้งแต่พรหมลงมาจนถึงใบหญ้า—ถูกแสวงหาในสภาพที่หลอมละลาย; เพราะฉะนั้นผู้ดีงามจึงเพียรแยกแยะทะลุถึงสัจจะนั้น—ลิงคะอันเป็นนิมิตนั้นเองได้ประจักษ์

Word by Word

• लीनम्: merged/hidden
• लीनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ली (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• मृग्येत: should be sought
• मृग्येत: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मृग् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक सम्बन्धबोधक (relative adverb)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; निर्देशार्थक

• आब्रह्मस्तम्बभाजनम्: the receptacle/realm from Brahmā down to a blade of grass
• आब्रह्मस्तम्बभाजनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आ (उपसर्ग/पूर्वपद) + ब्रह्म (प्रातिपदिक) + स्तम्ब (प्रातिपदिक) + भाजन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (आ-ब्रह्म-स्तम्ब-भाजन = ‘from Brahmā down to a clump of grass’ as container/realm); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• अतः: therefore
• अतः: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थक/तस्मात्-अर्थक (therefore)

• सः: it/he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• भाज्यते: is to be divided/parted
• भाज्यते: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भज् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• सद्भिः: by the good/wise
• सद्भिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया, बहुवचन

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• लिङ्गम्: mark/sign (liṅga)
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• विलोकितम्: seen/observed
• विलोकितम्: Kriyā (Verb)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि+लोक् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sages in the Purāṇic frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A seeker-sage and Brahmā gaze upon a simple, radiant liṅga; around it, layered worlds (from Brahmā’s realm to grasses) fade like mist, implying dissolution into the sign.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga (sign/mark; also Śiva-liṅga by purāṇic resonance)
• Brahmā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Wise seekers inquire into where the entire hierarchy of existence dissolves, discerning the ‘liṅga’—the defining sign of the Real.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī’s Śaiva-mokṣa ethos is implied, where liṅga and liberation teachings are central in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit external rite; it recommends inquiry/penetrative discernment (mṛgya, bhājya) by the virtuous.