Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 64

Devanagari script

वाराणस्यां विशालाक्षी नैमिषे लिङ्गधारिणी । प्रयागे ललिता देवी कामुका गन्धमादने

Transliteration

vārāṇasyāṃ viśālākṣī naimiṣe liṅgadhāriṇī | prayāge lalitā devī kāmukā gandhamādane

Translation

À Vārāṇasī, je suis Viśālākṣī ; à Naimiṣa, Liṅgadhāriṇī. À Prayāga, je suis la Déesse Lalitā ; sur le Gandhamādana, je suis connue sous le nom de Kāmukā.

Word by Word

• वाराणस्याम्: in Vārāṇasī
• वाराणस्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• विशालाक्षी: Viśālākṣī (she of large eyes)
• विशालाक्षी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशाल + अक्षि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि-समासः (विशाले अक्षिणी यस्याः)

• नैमिषे: in Naimiṣa
• नैमिषे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नैमिष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• लिङ्गधारिणी: Liṅgadhāriṇī (bearer of the liṅga)
• लिङ्गधारिणी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग + धारिणी (प्रातिपदिक; धृ-धातोः णिनि)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (लिङ्गं धारयति)

• प्रयागे: in Prayāga
• प्रयागे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रयाग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• ललिता: Lalitā
• ललिता: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ललिता (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• देवी: goddess
• देवी: Apposition (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देवी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• कामुका: Kāmukā
• कामुका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कामुका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• गन्धमादने: in Gandhamādana (mountain)
• गन्धमादने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गन्ध + मादन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (गन्धः मादयति/गन्धेन मादनम्)

Speaker

Devī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) – Viśālākṣī; Naimiṣāraṇya – Liṅgadhāriṇī; Prayāga – Lalitā; Gandhamādana – Kāmukā

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Māṇḍavya

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Devī enumerates four sacred abodes; the composition can show Devī central with four surrounding vignettes: Kāśī ghats and Viśālākṣī, Naimiṣa forest with liṅga and Liṅgadhāriṇī, Prayāga sangam with Lalitā, and a Himalayan peak for Gandhamādana with Kāmukā.

Characters & Entities

• Devī
• Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)
• Viśālākṣī
• Naimiṣa
• Liṅgadhāriṇī
• Prayāga
• Lalitā
• Gandhamādana
• Kāmukā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Devī accepts many names and forms to bless pilgrims—sacred geography becomes a map of her compassion.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī (Kāśī), Naimiṣa, Prayāga, and Gandhamādana are explicitly glorified as Devī’s abodes.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied practice is darśana and worship at these kṣetras; no specific dāna/snān/japa is detailed in this verse.