Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

लिंगेष्वेको हि विश्वेशस्तीर्थेषु मणिकर्णिका । इति संव्याहरन्व्यासस्तद्द्वयं बहु मन्यते

Transliteration

liṃgeṣveko hi viśveśastīrtheṣu maṇikarṇikā | iti saṃvyāharanvyāsastaddvayaṃ bahu manyate

Translation

„Unter den Liṅgas: allein Viśveśa; unter den Tīrthas: Maṇikarṇikā“—so sprechend, hält Vyāsa diese beiden für das Höchste.

Word by Word

• liṅgeṣu: among the liṅgas
• liṅgeṣu: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/locative), बहुवचन

• ekaḥ: one (unique)
• ekaḥ: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (to viśveśaḥ)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• viśveśaḥ: Viśveśa
• viśveśaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśveśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tīrtheṣu: among the tīrthas
• tīrtheṣu: Adhikarana (Domain/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, बहुवचन

• maṇikarṇikā: Maṇikarṇikā
• maṇikarṇikā: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maṇikarṇikā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• iti: thus
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-निपात (quotative particle)

• saṃvyāharan: uttering/reciting
• saṃvyāharan: Karta (Agent qualifier/कर्तृविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: saṃ-vi-ā-√hṛ (धातु) + शतृ (शतृ-प्रत्ययः)
• Form: वर्तमानकालिक-कर्तरि कृदन्त (present active participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; उपसर्गाः सम्-वि-आ-; विशेषणम् (to vyāsaḥ)

• vyāsaḥ: Vyāsa
• vyāsaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vyāsa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• tad-dvayam: that pair (those two)
• tad-dvayam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + dvaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/accusative), एकवचन

• bahu: greatly
• bahu: Visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: bahu (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverb: 'greatly/very much')

• manyate: considers/esteems
• manyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √man (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Maṇikarṇikā

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Vyāsa, seated with disciples, pronounces the aphoristic ranking; behind him, symbolic icons: a radiant Viśveśa liṅga and the steps of Maṇikarṇikā by the Ganga.

Characters & Entities

• Vyāsa
• Viśveśa
• Maṇikarṇikā
• Kāśī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage is refined by discernment: the tradition points to principal centers of grace within the wider sacred landscape.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Maṇikarṇikā is named as foremost among tīrthas, alongside Viśveśa as foremost among liṅgas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly: prioritize Viśveśa worship and Maṇikarṇikā snāna as core Kāśī practices.