Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

क्षेत्रमेतत्त्रिशूलाग्रे शूलिनस्तिष्ठति द्विज । अंतरिक्षेन भूमिष्ठं नेक्षंते मूढबुद्धयः

Transliteration

kṣetrametattriśūlāgre śūlinastiṣṭhati dvija | aṃtarikṣena bhūmiṣṭhaṃ nekṣaṃte mūḍhabuddhayaḥ

Translation

O Brahmane, dieses heilige Gebiet weilt auf der Spitze des Dreizacks des Dreizackträgers Śiva. Obgleich es auf Erden gegründet ist, vermögen Verblendete es nicht zu schauen, denn es ist auch von der Natur des Zwischenraums.

Word by Word

• kṣetram: the sacred field
• kṣetram: Karma/Pradhana (Object/Theme)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• etat: this
• etat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम विशेषण

• triśūla-agre: on the tip of the trident
• triśūla-agre: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: triśūla (प्रातिपदिक) + agra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘त्रिशूलस्य अग्रे’)

• śūlinaḥ: of the trident-bearer (Śiva)
• śūlinaḥ: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūlin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; ‘शूलिन्’ (trident-bearer)

• tiṣṭhati: stands; remains
• tiṣṭhati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (स्था)
• Form: लट् (present indicative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• dvija: O twice-born (brahmin)
• dvija: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• aṃtarikṣeṇa: through the sky; by the air
• aṃtarikṣeṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṃtarikṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करणार्थ (by/through)

• bhūmiṣṭham: standing on the ground; earth-based
• bhūmiṣṭham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhūmiṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण

• na: not
• na: Negation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• ikṣante: they see
• ikṣante: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √īkṣ (ईक्ष्)
• Form: लट् (present indicative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• mūḍha-buddhayaḥ: those of deluded intellect
• mūḍha-buddhayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūḍha (कृदन्त; √muh मुह् + kta) + buddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहि-समास (‘मूढा बुद्धिः येषाम्’)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta / Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A dvija (explicitly addressed) / sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva stands as cosmic pillar; from his triśūla rises a luminous miniature Kāśī-city at the tip, while ordinary townsfolk below see only mundane streets; sages perceive the radiant kṣetra hovering in mid-space.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Śūlin)
• Triśūla
• Kāśī/Avimukta (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s holiness is not merely physical; it is a divine reality grasped through devotion and right understanding.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Avimukta/Kāśī, linked directly to Śiva as Śūlin (the trident-bearer).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is given; the emphasis is on spiritual perception (darśana) and the kṣetra’s transcendence.