Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

योषापि न भवेदेष यतोसौ श्मश्रुलाननः । नपुंसकोपि न भवेल्लिंगमस्ययतोर्च्यते

Transliteration

yoṣāpi na bhavedeṣa yatosau śmaśrulānanaḥ | napuṃsakopi na bhavelliṃgamasyayatorcyate

Translation

Ngài cũng chẳng phải nữ nhân, vì dung nhan có râu. Ngài cũng chẳng phải kẻ trung tính, bởi liṅga của Ngài được tôn thờ phụng bái.

Word by Word

• योषा: a woman
• योषा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योषा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), 'also/even'

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• भवेत्: would be
• भवेत्: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• एषः: this one
• एषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; निर्देशवाचक-सर्वनाम

• यतः: because
• यतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यतस् (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतौ अव्ययम् (because/since)

• असौ: that one
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• श्मश्रुलाननः: beard-faced / having a bearded face
• श्मश्रुलाननः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्मश्रु-ल-आनन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः (one whose face has beard)

• नपुंसकः: an eunuch / neuter person
• नपुंसकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नपुंसक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• अपि: even/also
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• भवेत्: would be
• भवेत्: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• लिङ्गम्: mark/sign (liṅga)
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd Nom/Acc), एकवचन

• अस्य: of this
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• यतः: because
• यतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यतस् (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतौ अव्ययम् (because/since)

• अर्च्यते: is worshipped
• अर्च्यते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अर्च् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद, कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viśvanātha-liṅga (Kāśī)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya sages (frame; not explicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Close view of a liṅga shrine in Kāśī: priests offer bilva leaves, water, and lamps; above, a faint anthropomorphic Śiva visage with beard appears in aura, while the liṅga remains the primary object of worship.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divinity cannot be reduced to human gender categories; Śiva is worshipped through the liṅga while remaining beyond ordinary classifications.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s overarching sacred geography is Kāśī; this verse supports Śaiva worship central to Kāśī rather than a named tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly references liṅga-arcana (worship of the liṅga), without detailing procedures.