Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

आनंदकानने मुक्त्यै प्रोक्तान्येतानि सुंदरि । प्रिये चतुर्दशेज्यानि महालिंगानि देहिनाम्

Transliteration

ānaṃdakānane muktyai proktānyetāni suṃdari | priye caturdaśejyāni mahāliṃgāni dehinām

Translation

Oh hermosa, estas han sido declaradas para la liberación en Ānandakānana. Oh amada, para los seres encarnados estos catorce grandes Liṅgas son los objetos de culto.

Word by Word

• आनन्दकानने: in the Ānanda-grove
• आनन्दकानने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आनन्द + कानन (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (आनन्दस्य काननम्)

• मुक्त्यै: for liberation
• मुक्त्यै: Sampradana/Purpose (Recipient/Purpose)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4), एकवचन

• प्रोक्तानि: have been proclaimed
• प्रोक्तानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√वच् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; ‘have been proclaimed’

• एतानि: these
• एतानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• सुन्दरि: O beautiful one
• सुन्दरि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुन्दरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8), एकवचन

• प्रिये: O beloved
• प्रिये: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8), एकवचन

• चतुर्दश: fourteen
• चतुर्दश: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्दश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याविशेषणम्; एज्यानि इति विशेष्यस्य संख्या

• एज्यानि: worthy of worship
• एज्यानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एज्य (प्रातिपदिक; from √यज् (धातु) with यत्/ण्यत् sense ‘worthy of worship’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (worship-worthy)

• महालिङ्गानि: great Liṅgas
• महालिङ्गानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः

• देहिनाम्: of embodied beings
• देहिनाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; ‘embodied beings’

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ānandakānana (within Kāśī/Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred grove (kānana) filled with flowering trees and small shrines; fourteen radiant liṅgas appear like pillars of light, with Śiva’s presence pervading the forest-bliss atmosphere.

Characters & Entities

• Ānandakānana (Kāśī)
• Fourteen Mahāliṅgas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī as Ānandakānana is explicitly taught as a liberation-zone, and its fourteen mahāliṅgas form a complete devotional program for seekers.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ānandakānana—Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)—as a mukti-bestowing sacred forest/city.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ijya/arcana (worship) of the fourteen mahāliṅgas is recommended for embodied beings seeking liberation.