Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 9

Devanagari script

सरस्वतीश्वरं लिंगं दक्षिणेन त्रिविष्टपात् । सारस्वतं पदं दद्याद्दृष्टं स्पृष्टं च जाड्यहृत्

Transliteration

sarasvatīśvaraṃ liṃgaṃ dakṣiṇena triviṣṭapāt | sārasvataṃ padaṃ dadyāddṛṣṭaṃ spṛṣṭaṃ ca jāḍyahṛt

Translation

在特里维什塔帕之南，有萨拉斯瓦蒂湿伐罗林伽。若得瞻见——乃至触及——便赐予“萨拉斯瓦蒂之境”（学识与辩才），并除去心智迟钝。

Word by Word

• sarasvatī-īśvaram: Sarasvatī’s Lord (name of a liṅga)
• sarasvatī-īśvaram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarasvatī (प्रातिपदिक) + īśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुष—‘सरस्वत्याः ईश्वरः’

• liṅgam: liṅga
• liṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• dakṣiṇena: to the south (by the southern side)
• dakṣiṇena: Adhikarana (Directional/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dakṣiṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन (Singular); दिशावाचक (directional)

• triviṣṭapāt: from Triviṣṭapa (heaven)
• triviṣṭapāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri (प्रातिपदिक) + viṣṭapa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन (Singular); तत्पुरुष—‘त्रिविष्टपात् (स्वर्गात्)’

• sārasvatam: Sārasvata (pertaining to Sarasvatī)
• sārasvatam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sārasvata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• padam: state, abode, position
• padam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन (Singular)

• dadyāt: would give, grants
• dadyāt: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dā (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), परस्मैपद, प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd), एकवचन (Singular)

• dṛṣṭam: seen
• dṛṣṭam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (Nom/Acc sg); ‘seen’

• spṛṣṭam: touched
• spṛṣṭam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √spṛś (धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle, क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन (Nom/Acc sg); ‘touched’

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• jāḍya-hṛt: remover of dullness/ignorance
• jāḍya-hṛt: Karta (Predicate-nominative/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jāḍya (प्रातिपदिक) + √hṛ (धातु, ‘to take away’)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular); कृदन्त—‘हृत्’ (present participial/agentive usage ‘remover’); तत्पुरुष—‘जाड्यं हरति’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśī Khaṇḍa context, Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Sarasvatīśvara Liṅga

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A southern shrine with Sarasvatī motifs—white lotus, veena—beside a serene liṅga; a devotee-scholar touches the pedestal, light emanates to the forehead and tongue, symbolizing clarity and eloquence.

Characters & Entities

• Sarasvatīśvara Liṅga
• Triviṣṭapa Liṅga
• Sarasvatī (learning)
• jāḍya (dullness)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s presence in Kāśī is also a source of wisdom: devotion expressed through darśana and sparśa is said to awaken learning and clarity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Sarasvatīśvara Liṅga, located to the south of the Triviṣṭapa shrine in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana (seeing) and sparśa (touching) of the Sarasvatīśvara Liṅga are praised as spiritually and intellectually transformative.