Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

तस्य जन्मसहस्रस्य पापं संक्षीयते क्षणात् । कलौ गंगेश्वरं लिंगं गुप्तप्रायं भविष्यति

Transliteration

tasya janmasahasrasya pāpaṃ saṃkṣīyate kṣaṇāt | kalau gaṃgeśvaraṃ liṃgaṃ guptaprāyaṃ bhaviṣyati

Translation

บาปที่สั่งสมมานับพันชาติของผู้นั้นย่อมสิ้นไปในชั่วขณะ แต่ในกาลียุค ลึงค์คงคาอีศวรจะกลายเป็นสิ่งที่ซ่อนเร้นเป็นส่วนใหญ่

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him/of that (person)
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• जन्मसहस्रस्य: of a thousand births
• जन्मसहस्रस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मसहस्र (प्रातिपदिक) = जन्मन् + सहस्र
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (जन्म्नां सहस्रम्)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• संक्षीयते: is destroyed/diminishes
• संक्षीयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + क्षि (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present/लट्), आत्मनेपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (passive sense)

• क्षणात्: in an instant/from a moment
• क्षणात्: Apadana (Ablative/source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/पञ्चमी), एकवचन; अपादानार्थे (source/time-from)

• कलौ: in the Kali age
• कलौ: Adhikarana (Time/काल-अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कलि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन

• गंगेश्वरम्: Gaṅgeśvara
• गंगेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गंगेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक) = गंगा + ईश्वर
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः

• लिङ्गम्: the liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• गुप्तप्रायम्: mostly hidden
• गुप्तप्रायम्: Visheshana (Adjectival qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गुप्तप्राय (प्रातिपदिक) = गुप्त + प्राय
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (लिङ्गम् इति); कर्मधारयः (गुप्तं प्रायः)

• भविष्यति: will be
• भविष्यति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (Simple Future/लृट्), परस्मैपदम्, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgeśvara (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sudden, luminous moment of grace: the devotee’s sins symbolically burn away as ash or dissolve into Gaṅgā waters upon worship; in the background, the liṅga is shown partially veiled/hidden, hinting at Kali-yuga concealment.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgeśvara liṅga
• Kali-yuga
• Pāpa-kṣaya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sincere worship in Kāśī can burn vast karmic burdens swiftly, yet Kali-yuga makes access to certain sacred forms rarer.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgeśvara liṅga in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied prescription is worship/darśana of Gaṅgeśvara as a means for rapid pāpa-kṣaya.