Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 35

Devanagari script

स्थावरा जंगमाः काश्यामचेतनसचेतनाः । सर्वे ममैव लिंगानि तेभ्यो द्रुह्यंति दुर्धियः

Transliteration

sthāvarā jaṃgamāḥ kāśyāmacetanasacetanāḥ | sarve mamaiva liṃgāni tebhyo druhyaṃti durdhiyaḥ

Translation

In Kāśī sind das Unbewegliche und das Bewegliche, das Unbeseelte und das Beseelte, alles wahrhaft meine Liṅgas. Die von bösem Sinn vergehen sich an ihnen.

Word by Word

• स्थावराः: immovables (stationary beings)
• स्थावराः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थावर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• जङ्गमाः: movables (mobile beings)
• जङ्गमाः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जङ्गम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• अचेतनसचेतनाः: insentient and sentient
• अचेतनसचेतनाः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अचेतन (प्रातिपदिक) + सचेतन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वन्द्वसमास (इतरेतर): अचेतन + सचेतन; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण of ‘स्थावराः जङ्गमाः’

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; समुच्चयार्थ

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, एकवचन

• एव: indeed, only
• एव: Avadhāraṇa (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय

• लिङ्गानि: liṅgas, emblems
• लिङ्गानि: Karta (Predicate nominal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• तेभ्यः: from/against them
• तेभ्यः: Apādāna (Ablative/source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), बहुवचन

• द्रुह्यन्ति: they harm, they bear malice
• द्रुह्यन्ति: Kriya (Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: द्रुह् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• दुर्धियः: the evil-minded
• दुर्धियः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्धि (प्रातिपदिक: दुḥ + धि)
• Form: बहुव्रीहिसमास: ‘दुर्धिः यस्य सः’ (one of bad intellect); पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

Speaker

Viśveśa/Śiva (quoted within Skanda’s narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Internal narratee (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic Kāśī scene where stones, trees, animals, pilgrims, and shrines subtly bear liṅga-marks; a contrasting figure of ‘dur-dhi’ shows disrespect, shadowed by karmic consequence.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Viśveśa/Śiva
• Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kāśī, everything participates in Śiva’s presence; harming beings or places there is treated as an offense against Śiva.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as a total sacred field where all entities are Śiva’s signs (liṅgas).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

An implied discipline of reverence and non-offense toward all beings and sacred forms in Kāśī.