Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 22

Devanagari script

तत्र लिंगमभूदेकं ख्यातं प्रहसितेश्वरम् । तल्लिंगदर्शनात्पुंसामानंदः स्यात्पदेपदे

Transliteration

tatra liṃgamabhūdekaṃ khyātaṃ prahasiteśvaram | talliṃgadarśanātpuṃsāmānaṃdaḥ syātpadepade

Translation

ณ ที่นั้นได้ปรากฏลึงค์องค์หนึ่ง อันเลื่องชื่อว่า ‘ประหสิตีศวร’ เพียงได้เห็นลึงค์นั้น ผู้คนย่อมบังเกิดปีติสุขในทุกย่างก้าว

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (locative adverb)

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga, emblem
• लिङ्गम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (neut. nom. sg.)

• अभूत्: came to be, existed
• अभूत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लुङ् (Aorist), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम् (3rd sg. aor.)

• एकम्: one, single
• एकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (neut. nom. sg.)

• ख्यातम्: renowned, known
• ख्यातम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ख्या (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (neut. nom. sg.)

• प्रहसितेश्वरम्: (as) Prahasiteśvara, ‘Lord of laughter/smiling’
• प्रहसितेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्र-हस् (धातु) + इत (कृदन्त) → प्रहसित (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/कर्म), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः/कर्मधारयार्थः (प्रहसितस्य ईश्वरः) (masc. acc. sg.)

• तत्: of that
• तत्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (neut. gen. sg.)

• लिङ्गदर्शनात्: from seeing the liṅga; by the sight of the liṅga
• लिङ्गदर्शनात्: Apadana (Cause/source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (लिङ्गस्य दर्शनम्) (neut. abl. sg.)

• पुंसाम्: of men, of people
• पुंसाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुंस्/पुमांस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/सम्बन्ध), बहुवचन (masc. gen. pl.)

• आनन्दः: bliss, joy
• आनन्दः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आनन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (masc. nom. sg.)

• स्यात्: would be / may arise
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम् (3rd sg. opt.)

• पदे: at (each) step
• पदे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन (neut. loc. sg.)

• पदे: at every step
• पदे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/अधिकरण), एकवचन; पुनरुक्ति (reduplication for distributive sense)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration, typically to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Prahāsiteśvara

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: From the locus of Śiva’s laughter, a radiant liṅga manifests; pilgrims approach with folded hands, and the path itself seems suffused with joy ‘at every step’.

Characters & Entities

• Prahāsiteśvara
• Śiva
• Kāśī
• Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s presence in Kāśī is accessible through liṅga-darśana, which uplifts the heart and bestows experiential joy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Prahāsiteśvara Liṅga in Kāśī (Vārāṇasī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana (reverent viewing) of the Prahāsiteśvara liṅga is presented as the key devotional act and its fruit is ānanda.