Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

रत्नेशात्पूर्वतो भागे दृष्ट्वा लिंगं सतीश्वरम् । मुच्यते पातकैः सद्यः क्रमाज्ज्ञानं च विंदति

Transliteration

ratneśātpūrvato bhāge dṛṣṭvā liṃgaṃ satīśvaram | mucyate pātakaiḥ sadyaḥ kramājjñānaṃ ca viṃdati

Translation

رتنیش کے مشرقی حصے میں ستییشور لِنگ کے درشن سے انسان فوراً گناہوں سے آزاد ہو جاتا ہے، اور رفتہ رفتہ حقیقی روحانی گیان حاصل کرتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• रत्नेशात्: from Ratneśa (place/deity)
• रत्नेशात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रत्नेश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन

• पूर्वतः: to the east; eastward
• पूर्वतः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्वतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; दिशावाचक-अव्यय (directional adverb)

• भागे: in the region/part
• भागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya (पूर्वक्रिया/absolutive)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), ‘having seen’

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

• सतीश्वरम्: (the liṅga) named Satīśvara
• सतीश्वरम्: Karma (Object-qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सतीश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifier) लिङ्गम्-शब्दस्य

• मुच्यते: is freed
• मुच्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• पातकैः: from sins (by/with sins as the thing removed)
• पातकैः: Karana (Instrument/Means/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पातक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), बहुवचन

• सद्यः: immediately
• सद्यः: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सद्यः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• क्रमात्: gradually; in due order
• क्रमात्: Hetu/Adverbial (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; अव्ययीभावार्थे ‘क्रमात्’ = ‘क्रमेण’

• ज्ञानम्: knowledge
• ज्ञानम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction)

• विन्दति: attains; finds
• विन्दति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa discourse typically Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Satīśvara (east of Ratneśa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahāmuni (the sage addressed in the surrounding dialogue)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim, having visited Ratneśa, walks east through narrow Kāśī lanes to a small shrine where Satīśvara Liṅga is seen; the moment of darśana is shown as a luminous clearing of darkness, followed by a calm aura of insight.

Characters & Entities

• Ratneśa
• Satīśvara
• Śiva (Liṅga)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Darśana of Śiva in Kāśī is presented as both immediate purification (freedom from sin) and a gradual awakening into liberating knowledge.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Satīśvara Liṅga, located to the east of Ratneśa within the sacred landscape of Kāśī (Vārāṇasī).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No detailed rite is prescribed here; the act emphasized is darśana—beholding the Satīśvara Liṅga.