Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 46

Devanagari script

वीणावेणुमृदंगादि निस्वनाः श्रुतिहारिणः । हाटकेशं महालिंगं यत्र वै सर्वकामदम्

Transliteration

vīṇāveṇumṛdaṃgādi nisvanāḥ śrutihāriṇaḥ | hāṭakeśaṃ mahāliṃgaṃ yatra vai sarvakāmadam

Translation

সেখানে বীণা, বেণু, মৃদঙ্গ প্রভৃতি বাদ্যের ধ্বনি শ্রবণহরণকারী; আর সেখানে ‘হাটকেশ’ নামক মহালিঙ্গ আছে, যা নিশ্চয়ই সর্বকামদ।

Word by Word

• वीणावेणुमृदङ्गादि: (sounds) of vīṇā, flute, mṛdaṅga, etc.
• वीणावेणुमृदङ्गादि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वीणा (प्रातिपदिक) + वेणु (प्रातिपदिक) + मृदङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—द्वन्द्व (वीणा-वेणु-मृदङ्ग-आदीनि)

• निस्वनाः: sounds, resonances
• निस्वनाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निस्वन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• श्रुतिहारिणः: captivating to the ear
• श्रुतिहारिणः: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रुति (प्रातिपदिक) + हारिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (श्रुतिं हरन्ति इति)

• हाटकेशम्: Hāṭakeśa (Lord of gold; a name)
• हाटकेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हाटक (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (हाटकस्य ईशः)

• महालिङ्गम्: the great liṅga
• महालिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (महच्च तत् लिङ्गम्)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; सम्बन्ध-प्रदर्शक (where)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (indeed/emphatic)

• सर्वकामदम्: granting all desires
• सर्वकामदम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + काम (प्रातिपदिक) + द (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; दा धातोः क)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (सर्वान् कामान् ददाति इति)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Hāṭakeśa Mahāliṅga

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A grand subterranean shrine: the Hāṭakeśa Mahāliṅga on a jeweled pedestal, lamps casting steady light; musicians play vīṇā, flute, and mṛdaṅga; devotees—daitya/dānava and others—stand in reverent awe as sound becomes worship.

Characters & Entities

• Hāṭakeśa
• Mahāliṅga
• Śiva
• Pātāla

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Even in wondrous realms, Śiva’s presence as Liṅga is central; devotion (liṅga-smaraṇa/arcana) is portrayed as the true source of fulfillment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse names the sacred Liṅga-sthāna ‘Hāṭakeśa Mahāliṅga’ as a wish-fulfilling shrine within this cosmological description.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is detailed here, but the verse implies liṅga-upāsanā (reverence to the Mahāliṅga) as the means to obtain desired ends.