Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

विश्वकर्मेश्वरं लिंगं ज्ञानदं च तदुत्तरे । महामुंडेश्वरं लिंगं तस्य दक्षिणतः शुभम्

Transliteration

viśvakarmeśvaraṃ liṃgaṃ jñānadaṃ ca taduttare | mahāmuṃḍeśvaraṃ liṃgaṃ tasya dakṣiṇataḥ śubham

Translation

তার উত্তরে ‘বিশ্বকর্মেশ্বর’ নামে লিঙ্গ রয়েছে, যা জ্ঞান প্রদান করে। তার দক্ষিণে শুভ ‘মহামুণ্ডেশ্বর’ নামে লিঙ্গ বিরাজমান।

Word by Word

• विश्वकर्मेश्वरम्: Viśvakarma-īśvara (name)
• विश्वकर्मेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वकर्मन् + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (विश्वकर्मणः ईश्वरः)

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga (Śiva-emblem)
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ज्ञानदम्: bestowing knowledge
• ज्ञानदम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्ञान + द (कृदन्त; √दा धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (ज्ञानं ददाति)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय

• तत्: to its/that
• तत्: Adhikarana (Reference point/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘तस्मिन्’ अर्थे (locative pronoun)

• उत्तरे: to the north (of it)
• उत्तरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• महामुण्डेश्वरम्: Mahāmuṇḍeśvara (name)
• महामुण्डेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महā + मुण्ड + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (महान् मुण्डः यस्य/मुण्डानां ईश्वरः—नामरूपेण)

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

• तस्य: of it/of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• दक्षिणतः: to the south (of)
• दक्षिणतः: Adhikarana (Spatial relation/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दक्षिणतस् (अव्यय; तसिल्)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (directional/ablatival adverb)

• शुभम्: auspicious
• शुभम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्मसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (context: ‘(स्थितं) शुभम्’)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa context: Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viśvakarmeśvara Liṅga; Mahāmuṇḍeśvara Liṅga (associated with the Aṅgāraka Tīrtha precinct)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A small sacred precinct: the tīrtha at center, a northern shrine with a liṅga labeled Viśvakarmeśvara radiating a subtle ‘knowledge’ aura, and a southern shrine of Mahāmuṇḍeśvara with protective, auspicious presence; pilgrims move in a clockwise mini-parikrama.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Viśvakarmeśvara Liṅga
• Mahāmuṇḍeśvara Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is mapped as a living sacred landscape where specific Śiva-liṅgas grant distinct spiritual fruits, including jñāna.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The liṅgas Viśvakarmeśvara and Mahāmuṇḍeśvara situated within Kāśī’s tīrtha-topography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, liṅga-darśana and worship at these named shrines; no explicit dāna/japa detail is stated in this verse.