Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

वाचि वाराणसी येषां श्रुतौ वैश्वेश्वरी कथा । त एव काशी लिंगानि वराण्यर्च्यान्यहं यथा

Transliteration

vāci vārāṇasī yeṣāṃ śrutau vaiśveśvarī kathā | ta eva kāśī liṃgāni varāṇyarcyānyahaṃ yathā

Translation

Those on whose lips is “Vārāṇasī”, and in whose hearing is the sacred account of Viśveśvara—those very ones are Kāśī’s blessed liṅgas, worthy of worship, just as I am.

Word by Word

• वाचि: in (their) speech
• वाचि: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• वाराणसी: Vārāṇasī
• वाराणसी: Karta (Predicate nominal/content)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; (apposition to implied subject-content)

• येषाम्: of whom
• येषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• श्रुतौ: in (their) hearing/ear
• श्रुतौ: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रुति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• वैश्वेश्वरी: pertaining to Viśveśvara
• वैश्वेश्वरी: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वैश्वेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक) + ङीप् (स्त्री)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण of ‘कथा’

• कथा: story, discourse
• कथा: Karta (Predicate nominal/content)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

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

• काशी: Kāśī
• काशी: Karta (Predicate nominal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (appositional epithet)

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

• वराणि: excellent, best
• वराणि: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण of ‘लिङ्गानि’

• अर्च्यानि: worthy to be worshipped
• अर्च्यानि: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्च्य (प्रातिपदिक; यत्-प्रत्ययान्त from अर्च्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘worthy of worship’

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा, एकवचन

• यथा: as, just as
• यथा: Upamā/Prakāra (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (comparative/according-to particle)

Speaker

Viśveśa/Śiva (quoted within Skanda’s narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viśveśvara in Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Internal narratee (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee chants ‘Vārāṇasī’ while another listens to a storyteller narrating Viśveśvara-kathā; their mouths/ears glow with sacred light, and a liṅga-symbol appears as a subtle aura around them.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī
• Kāśī
• Viśveśvara (Vaiśveśvarī kathā)
• Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Nāma (uttering the holy place-name) and śravaṇa (hearing sacred discourse) sanctify devotees, making them worthy of reverence in Kāśī.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī/Kāśī, especially through remembrance of its name and hearing the Viśveśvara-kathā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Speak the name ‘Vārāṇasī’ and listen to the sacred discourse about Viśveśvara (kathā-śravaṇa).