Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 98

Devanagari script

विश्वेश्वरो यत्र न तत्र चित्रं धर्मार्थकामामृतरूपरूपः । स्वरूपरूपः स हि विश्वरूपस्तस्मान्न काशी सदृशी त्रिलोकी

Transliteration

viśveśvaro yatra na tatra citraṃ dharmārthakāmāmṛtarūparūpaḥ | svarūparūpaḥ sa hi viśvarūpastasmānna kāśī sadṛśī trilokī

Translation

Wo Viśveśvara gegenwärtig ist, ist es kein Wunder, dass Dharma, Artha, Kāma—und die nektargleiche Gabe der Befreiung—dort in ihrer eigenen Gestalt erscheinen. Denn Er ist die Gestalt der Wirklichkeit selbst, der Allgestaltige; darum gibt es in den drei Welten keine Stadt, die Kāśī gleicht.

Word by Word

• विश्वेश्वरः: Viśveśvara (Lord of the universe)
• विश्वेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्व + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (विश्वस्य ईश्वरः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: सम्बन्धबोधक अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• न: not
• न: Negation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (correlative adverb: there)

• चित्रम्: wonderful/strange
• चित्रम्: Samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• धर्म: dharma
• धर्म: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• अर्थ: artha
• अर्थ: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• काम: kāma
• काम: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: काम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• अमृत: nectar/immortality
• अमृत: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमृत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• रूप: form
• रूप: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• रूपः: one whose form is (that of) dharma, artha, kāma, and amṛta
• रूपः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय/बहुपदसमास (धर्मार्थकामामृत-रूपः रूपः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• स्वरूप: own form
• स्वरूप: Sambandha
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व + रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (स्वस्य रूपम्), समासाङ्ग

• रूपः: having (his) own true form
• रूपः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय (स्वरूपः रूपः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Anuvṛtti/Pronominal reference
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Masculine, Nominative, Singular)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Emphasis
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• विश्व: universal
• विश्व: Viśeṣaṇa
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विश्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासाङ्ग (compound member)

• रूपः: of universal form
• रूपः: Samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुषसमास (विश्वस्य रूपः), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• तस्मात्: therefore/from that
• तस्मात्: Hetu/Apādāna (Cause/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी, एकवचन (Ablative singular)

• न: not
• न: Negation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• काशी: Kāśī
• काशी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• सदृशी: similar/equal
• सदृशी: Samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सदृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

• त्रिलोकी: the three worlds
• त्रिलोकी: Sambandha/Comparison standard
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्विगुसमास (त्रयः लोकाः), स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (Feminine, Nominative, Singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viśveśvara-kṣetra (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viśveśvara as cosmic form subtly emerging from the Kāśī liṅga: within Him appear Dharma, Artha, Kāma, and Mokṣa as luminous personifications; the cityscape of Kāśī glows as a tri-loka jewel.

Characters & Entities

• Viśveśvara
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Dharma
• Artha
• Kāma
• Mokṣa (amṛta)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The presence of Viśveśvara (Śiva) is the theological reason Kāśī grants both worldly goods and the immortal fruit of liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, specifically the domain of Viśveśvara (the Viśveśvara/Viśvanātha shrine tradition).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is stated; the verse is a doctrinal praise of Viśveśvara’s presence as the source of Kāśī’s fruits.