Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

स्कंद उवाच । सर्वज्योतिर्मयं लिंगं पुरतो वीक्ष्य वाङ्मयम् । सप्तपातालमुद्भिद्य स्थितं बृहदनुग्रहात

Transliteration

skaṃda uvāca | sarvajyotirmayaṃ liṃgaṃ purato vīkṣya vāṅmayam | saptapātālamudbhidya sthitaṃ bṛhadanugrahāta

Translation

斯坎达说：他见到面前那由一切光明所成的林伽——言语所不能及——巍然显立，仿佛穿越七重帕塔拉而出，皆由广大加持之恩。

Word by Word

• स्कन्दः: Skanda
• स्कन्दः: Karta (Speaker/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्कन्द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Nominative singular

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; 3rd person singular (said)

• सर्व-ज्योतिः-मयम्: made of all radiance
• सर्व-ज्योतिः-मयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + ज्योतिस् (प्रातिपदिक) + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular; विशेषणम् लिङ्गम् प्रति (consisting of all light)

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular

• पुरतः: in front
• पुरतः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पुरतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (in front)

• वीक्ष्य: having seen
• वीक्ष्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वीक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (अव्ययकृदन्त/gerund), पूर्वकाल; having seen

• वाङ्-मयम्: made of speech/words
• वाङ्-मयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाच् (प्रातिपदिक) + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular; विशेषणम् लिङ्गम् प्रति (consisting of speech/word)

• सप्त-पातालम्: the seven netherworlds
• सप्त-पातालम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सप्त (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक) + पाताल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Accusative singular (the seven netherworlds)

• उद्भिद्य: having burst through
• उद्भिद्य: Purvakala-kriya (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: उद् + भिद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (gerund), पूर्वकाल; having split/penetrated

• स्थितम्: standing, established
• स्थितम्: Kriya (State/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: स्था (धातु)
• Form: क्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; here predicate of लिङ्गम् (stood/was standing)

• बृहत्-अनुग्रहात्: from/through great grace
• बृहत्-अनुग्रहात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बृहत् (प्रातिपदिक) + अनुग्रह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; Ablative singular (due to great grace)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jyotir-maya Liṅga in Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Skanda narrates a vision: a colossal liṅga of pure light, ineffable, rising through the seven netherworlds like a cosmic pillar, stabilizing the worlds by grace.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Śiva as Jyotirliṅga
• Seven Pātālas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva’s liṅga is the cosmic Light itself—transcending description—revealed by divine grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśīkhaṇḍa context glorifies Kāśī as the place where the liṅga’s supreme light is encountered.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse centers on transformative darśana of the Jyotirliṅga.