Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 89

Devanagari script

ढुंढ्याशागजसिद्धाख्यं धर्मेशं तारकेश्वरम् । नन्दिकेशं निवासेशं पत्रीशं प्रीतिकेश्वरम्

Transliteration

ḍhuṃḍhyāśāgajasiddhākhyaṃ dharmeśaṃ tārakeśvaram | nandikeśaṃ nivāseśaṃ patrīśaṃ prītikeśvaram

Translation

(On peut vénérer) le Liṅga nommé Ḍhuṃḍhyāśāgajasiddha, Dharma-īśa, Tārakeśvara, Nandikeśa, Nivāseśa, Patrīśa et Prītikeśvara.

Word by Word

• ढुंढ्याशागजसिद्धाख्यम्: called ‘Ḍhuṃḍhyāśā-gaja-siddha’ (a specific epithet)
• ढुंढ्याशागजसिद्धाख्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ढुंढ्याशा-गज-सिद्ध-आख्य (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; विशेषणरूपेण (नामविशेषणम्)

• धर्मेशम्: Dharmeśa (Lord of Dharma)
• धर्मेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म-ईश (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तारकेश्वरम्: Tārakeśvara
• तारकेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तारक-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• नन्दिकेशम्: Nandikeśa
• नन्दिकेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नन्दि-केश (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• निवासेशम्: Nivāseśa (Lord of the abode)
• निवासेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निवास-ईश (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• पत्रीशम्: Patrīśa
• पत्रीशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पत्रिन्/पत्री-ईश (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रीतिकेश्वरम्: Prītikeśvara
• प्रीतिकेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रीति-केश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-liṅga-saṅgraha (cluster of named liṅgas in Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim in Kāśī offers bilva leaves and water to a sequence of small shrine-liṅgas, each with a distinct name-banner, while the city’s lanes and temple lamps glow in the background.

Characters & Entities

• Dharmeśa
• Tārakeśvara
• Nandikeśa
• Nivāseśa
• Patrīśa
• Prītikeśvara
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is portrayed as a living maṇḍala of many Śiva-manifestations; remembrance and worship of these īśvaras is itself a dhārmic act that gathers merit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), through a litany of its resident Śiva-liṅgas/īśvara-shrines such as Tārakeśvara and Dharmēśa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is stated; the verse functions as a devotional catalogue implying darśana, pūjā, and nāma-smaraṇa (name-remembrance) of these liṅgas.