Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 11

Devanagari script

आलुलोके महालिंगं वैकुंठपरमेष्ठिनोः । महाहमहमिकायां प्रादुरास यदादितः

Transliteration

āluloke mahāliṃgaṃ vaikuṃṭhaparameṣṭhinoḥ | mahāhamahamikāyāṃ prādurāsa yadāditaḥ

Translation

Er erblickte den großen Liṅga, der sich zuerst im gewaltigen Wettstreit des „Ich, ich“ (Hochmut) zwischen dem Herrn von Vaikuṇṭha und dem Parameṣṭhin (Brahmā) offenbarte.

Word by Word

• आलुलोके: he beheld/saw
• आलुलोके: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ+लोक् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• महा: great
• महा: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक, समासाङ्ग (पूर्वपद)

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

• वैकुण्ठ: Vaikuṇṭha (Viṣṇu)
• वैकुण्ठ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैकुण्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रातिपदिक, समासाङ्ग (पूर्वपद)

• परमेष्ठिनोः: of Vaikuṇṭha and Paramēṣṭhin (Brahmā)
• परमेष्ठिनोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परमेष्ठिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, द्विवचन; समासः: वैकुण्ठ-परमेष्ठिन् (द्वन्द्व; ‘वैकुण्ठश्च परमेष्ठी च’)

• महा: great
• महा: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक, समासाङ्ग (पूर्वपद)

• अहम्: I (ego)
• अहम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहम् (सर्वनाम)
• Form: सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक, समासाङ्ग (मध्यपद)

• अहमिका: in great egoism
• अहमिका: Adhikaraṇa (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अहमिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः: महा-अहम्-अहमिका (कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषार्थे; ‘महती अहमिकाऽहंभावः’)

• प्रादुरास: appeared, manifested
• प्रादुरास: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रादुर्+अस् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद; ‘प्रादुरास’ = प्रादुर्भूतः/appeared

• यदा: when
• यदा: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (relative temporal adverb)

• आदितः: from the beginning
• आदितः: Apādāna (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (ablatival adverb)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mahāliṅga / Viśveśvara-liṅga (Kāśī)

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva beholds the Mahāliṅga—an axis of presence recalling the primordial liṅgodbhava: a towering, luminous liṅga/pillar, with subtle echoes of Viṣṇu and Brahmā’s humbled forms at the periphery, the ‘ahaṃ-ahaṃ’ contest dissolved into silence.

Characters & Entities

• Mahāliṅga
• Viṣṇu (Vaikuṇṭhanātha)
• Brahmā (Parameṣṭhin)
• Śiva (Īśāna, implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Divine revelation (the Liṅga) subdues ego and rivalry; the Supreme transcends status-claims and becomes the true object of worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī-kṣetra through the presence/vision of the Mahāliṅga, tying the site to a cosmic theophany.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is given; the verse emphasizes darśana (beholding) of the Mahāliṅga.