Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 150

Devanagari script

आरभ्य बाल्यमप्येषा लिंगं रत्नेश्वराभिधम् । यांति पित्राप्यनुज्ञाता काश्यामर्चयितुं सदा

Transliteration

ārabhya bālyamapyeṣā liṃgaṃ ratneśvarābhidham | yāṃti pitrāpyanujñātā kāśyāmarcayituṃ sadā

Translation

Mula pa sa kanyang pagkabata, sa pahintulot ng kanyang ama, lagi siyang nagtutungo sa Kāśī upang sambahin ang liṅga na tinatawag na Ratneśvara.

Word by Word

• आरभ्य: starting from
• आरभ्य: Purvakala (From/starting with)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आ-रभ् (धातु) → आरभ्य (ल्यप्/absolutive)
• Form: ल्यप्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (gerund)

• बाल्यम्: childhood
• बाल्यम्: Karma/Avadhi (Extent/limit)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाल्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कालवाचक (time-span)

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय/अपि-कार (also/even)

• एषा: this (woman/girl)
• एषा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

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

• रत्नेश्वर: Ratneśvara
• रत्नेश्वर: Sambandha (Internal compound relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रत्न (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (रत्नानाम् ईश्वरः), प्रातिपदिक (proper name)

• अभिधम्: named, called
• अभिधम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अभिध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘named/called’

• यान्ति: they go
• यान्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• पित्रा: by the father
• पित्रा: Karana/Agent (by the father)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पितृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• अपि: also
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (also)

• अनुज्ञाता: permitted
• अनुज्ञाता: Karta/Predicate (Predicative adjective of subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनु-ज्ञा (धातु) → अनुज्ञात (कृदन्त, क्त/PPP)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (having been permitted)

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• अर्चयितुम्: to worship
• अर्चयितुम्: Prayojana (Purpose/प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु) → अर्चयितुम् (तुमुन्/infinitive)
• Form: तुमुन्-प्रत्ययान्त (infinitive); प्रयोजनार्थ (purpose)

• सदा: always
• सदा: Kriya-visheshana (Temporal adverb)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration, often to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ratneśvara (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: In-story audience learning the devotee’s background (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A young girl, guided by her father’s blessing, walks through Kāśī lanes toward a small Ratneśvara shrine carrying flowers and bilva; the liṅga awaits in a lamp-lit sanctum.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Ratneśvara Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady devotion from an early age, supported by righteous guardianship, anchors one in Śiva-bhakti and sacred practice.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), specifically the Ratneśvara Liṅga shrine/tradition of worship.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Regular worship (arcana) of Ratneśvara in Kāśī; no further procedural details are provided in this verse.