Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

उन्मील्यलोचने यावत्पुरः पश्यति बालकः । तावल्लिंगे ददर्शाथ त्र्यंबकं शशिशेखरम्

Transliteration

unmīlyalocane yāvatpuraḥ paśyati bālakaḥ | tāvalliṃge dadarśātha tryaṃbakaṃ śaśiśekharam

Translation

Vừa khi đứa trẻ mở mắt và nhìn về phía trước, ngay khoảnh khắc ấy nó thấy trong liṅga hiện ra Tryambaka—Śiva ba mắt—đội vầng trăng lưỡi liềm trên đỉnh đầu.

Word by Word

• unmīlya: having opened
• unmīlya: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: un-mīl (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive), धातु: मील् (to open) उपसर्ग: उत्/उन्; क्रियाविशेषणभावः (adverbial)

• locane: (his) two eyes
• locane: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: locana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/सप्तमी द्विवचन (Acc./Loc. dual); here: द्वितीया द्विवचन (object)

• yāvat: as far as / as long as
• yāvat: Sambandha (Correlative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yāvat (प्रातिपदिक/अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, परिमाण/अवधि-वाचक (correlative: as long as/so far as)

• puraḥ: in front
• puraḥ: Adhikaraṇa (Locative sense)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: puras (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, अव्यय-प्रयोग (adverb of place)

• paśyati: sees
• paśyati: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• bālakaḥ: the boy
• bālakaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bālaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tāvat: then / so much
• tāvat: Sambandha (Correlative marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tāvat (प्रातिपदिक/अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, तावत्-शब्दः (correlative: then/so much)

• liṅge: in the liṅga
• liṅge: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• dadarśa: saw
• dadarśa: Kriyā (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: dṛś (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• atha: then
• atha: Sambandha (Discourse connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: atha (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, अनुक्रम/समुच्चयार्थक (then/and then)

• tryaṃbakam: Tryambaka (the three-eyed one)
• tryaṃbakam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri + ambaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः: त्रि-अम्बक (three-eyed)

• śaśiśekharam: the moon-crested (Śiva)
• śaśiśekharam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaśi + śekhara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः: शशि-शेखर (moon-crested)

Speaker

Narrator (contextual; Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration traditionally framed as Skanda’s discourse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī / Viśveśvara area (implied)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A child opens his eyes and, facing the sanctum, beholds within the liṅga the radiant form of Tryambaka with three eyes and a crescent moon—an interior vision shining from the stone emblem.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga
• Tryambaka
• Śiva (Śaśiśekhara)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True vision culminates in Śiva-darśana; the liṅga is presented as a living locus where the Lord reveals Himself to the devotee.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśī-kṣetra setting is implied by the Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, emphasizing Śiva’s immediacy in Kāśī through liṅga worship.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated here; the verse highlights the fruit of devotion culminating in darśana of Śiva in the liṅga.