Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 92

Devanagari script

क्वाविमुक्तं महालिंगं चतुर्वर्गफलोदयम् । क्व पापि पापशैलोऽल्पो यःक्षयेन्नामसंभृतः

Transliteration

kvāvimuktaṃ mahāliṃgaṃ caturvargaphalodayam | kva pāpi pāpaśailo'lpo yaḥkṣayennāmasaṃbhṛtaḥ

Translation

Welcher Vergleich besteht zwischen Avimuktas großem Liṅga, aus dem die Früchte der vier Lebensziele aufgehen, und dem kleinen „Sündenberg“ des Sünders, der schon durch das bloße Nennen des Namens abgetragen wird?

Word by Word

• क्व: where
• क्व: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नवाचक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb)

• अविमुक्तम्: Avimukta
• अविमुक्तम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अविमुक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया (Nom/Acc) एकवचन (contextually compared item)

• महा: great
• महा: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् पूर्वपद; used in समास as intensifier

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; समास: महा-लिङ्ग (कर्मधारय: ‘great liṅga’)

• चतुर्वर्ग: four aims
• चतुर्वर्ग: Sambandha (Genitival/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चतुर् + वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; समास: चतुर्-वर्ग (‘group of four’) used as पूर्वपद

• फल: fruit, result
• फल: Sambandha (Genitival/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: फल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; used as मध्यपद in समास

• उदयम्: bestowing the rise of results
• उदयम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उदय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा/द्वितीया एकवचन; समास: चतुर्वर्ग-फल-उदय (तत्पुरुष: ‘arising of the fruits of the four aims’)

• क्व: where
• क्व: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नवाचक-अव्यय

• पापि: sinful
• पापि: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पापिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; (poetic form) ‘sinful’

• पाप: sin
• पाप: Sambandha (Genitival/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; used as पूर्वपद in समास

• शैलः: mountain
• शैलः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शैल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; समास: पाप-शैल (तत्पुरुष: ‘mountain of sin’)

• अल्पः: small
• अल्पः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अल्प (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; विशेषण of शैलः

• यः: which/that
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; सम्बन्धवाचक (relative pronoun)

• क्षयेत्: would destroy, would perish
• क्षयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्षि (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative); प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person); एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• नाम: merely, as it were
• नाम: Sambandha (Qualifier/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नाम (अव्यय/नपुंसक-शब्द)
• Form: अव्यय; उपमान/प्रकारवाचक (as it were, merely)

• संभृतः: accumulated, heaped up
• संभृतः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + भृ (धातु) → संभृत (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा; एकवचन; विशेषण of शैलः

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta Mahāliṅga

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A colossal radiant liṅga rises like a sun of caturvarga; beside it a tiny crumbling dark hill labeled ‘pāpa’ is worn away by the mere utterance of the name, depicted as sound-waves or script dissolving the rock.

Characters & Entities

• Avimukta
• Mahāliṅga
• Caturvarga
• Pāpa (sin)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The verse magnifies Avimukta’s saving power: before the great Liṅga, sin is portrayed as ultimately fragile and insignificant.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Avimukta in Kāśī, through the Mahāliṅga associated with Avimukteśvara.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, reverent invocation and worship of Avimukta’s Mahāliṅga, whose sanctity eclipses sin.