Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

ततोपि दुर्लभं काश्यां लिंगं गंगेश्वराभिधम् । यस्य संदर्शनं पुंसां भवेत्पापक्षयाय वै

Transliteration

tatopi durlabhaṃ kāśyāṃ liṃgaṃ gaṃgeśvarābhidham | yasya saṃdarśanaṃ puṃsāṃ bhavetpāpakṣayāya vai

Translation

کاشی میں اس سے بھی زیادہ نایاب وہ لِنگ ہے جو ‘گنگیشور’ کے نام سے معروف ہے؛ جس کا محض دیدار ہی لوگوں کے گناہوں کے زوال کا سبب بن جاتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• tataḥ: thereafter/than that
• tataḥ: Sambandha (Adverbial relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (indeclinable adverb): ‘thereafter/than that’

• api: even/also
• api: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (particle): ‘also/even’

• durlabham: rare, hard to obtain
• durlabham: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dur-labha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (Neuter Nom/Acc Sg); विशेषणम् (qualifier)

• kāśyām: in Kāśī
• kāśyām: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी एकवचन (Locative Sg)

• liṅgam: liṅga (Śiva-emblem)
• liṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (Nom/Acc Sg)

• gaṅgeśvara-abhidham: named ‘Gaṅgeśvara’
• gaṅgeśvara-abhidham: Visheshana (Adjectival modifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gaṅgā-īśvara + abhidha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (Nom/Acc Sg); विशेषणम्—‘called/named’

• yasya: of which/whose
• yasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी एकवचन (Genitive Sg); सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• saṃdarśanam: seeing, दर्शन
• saṃdarśanam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃ-darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा एकवचन (Nominative Sg)

• puṃsām: of men/people
• puṃsām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puṃs (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी बहुवचन (Genitive Pl)

• bhavet: would be/becomes
• bhavet: Kriya (Predicate action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: bhū (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन (3rd sg)

• pāpa-kṣayāya: for the destruction of sins
• pāpa-kṣayāya: Sampradana (Purpose/recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāpa + kṣaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी एकवचन (Dative Sg); प्रयोजन (purpose)

• vai: indeed
• vai: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (emphatic particle)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgeśvara (Liṅga)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim approaches a small but radiant Śiva-liṅga titled ‘Gaṅgeśvara’ within Kāśī; Gaṅgā’s presence is implied through water vessels, river motifs, and priests offering bilva and lamps; the atmosphere is dense with sanctity and rarity.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Gaṅgeśvara
• Śiva-liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even simple, faith-filled darśana of a revered Kāśī liṅga is taught to have strong purifying power, reducing accumulated sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Gaṅgeśvara Śiva-liṅga in Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), praised as exceptionally rare and spiritually potent.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No detailed rite is prescribed; the act emphasized is darśana (seeing/visiting) the Gaṅgeśvara liṅga.