Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

इमानि यानि लिंगानि सर्वेषां मुक्तिदानि हि । एकैकभुवनस्येह सारमादाय सर्वतः । मयैतानि कृतान्येव महाभक्तिकृपावशात्

Transliteration

imāni yāni liṃgāni sarveṣāṃ muktidāni hi | ekaikabhuvanasyeha sāramādāya sarvataḥ | mayaitāni kṛtānyeva mahābhaktikṛpāvaśāt

Translation

Ces liṅgas sont, en vérité, des dispensateurs de délivrance pour tous. Ayant rassemblé ici, de toutes parts, l’essence même de chaque monde, Je les ai Moi-même établis, sous l’élan de la compassion pour la grande dévotion.

Word by Word

• imāni: these
• imāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन

• yāni: which
• yāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-यत् (relative pronoun)

• liṃgāni: liṅgas
• liṃgāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṃga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• sarveṣām: of all
• sarveṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• muktidāni: granting liberation
• muktidāni: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mukti-dā (प्रातिपदिक; mukti + dā)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (mukteḥ dāni = ‘giving liberation’)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Nipāta (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/हेतु-निपात (indeed)

• ekaika-bhuvanasya: of each world
• ekaika-bhuvanasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka-eka-bhuvana (प्रातिपदिक; eka + eka + bhuvana)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (ekaikaṃ bhuvanaṃ)

• iha: here
• iha: Deśa (Place/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place: here)

• sāram: essence
• sāram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• ādāya: having taken
• ādāya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā-√dā (दा) (कृदन्त; ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त अव्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund): ‘having taken’

• sarvataḥ: from everywhere; on all sides
• sarvataḥ: Deśa (Extent/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarvataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: सर्वतः-इति दिशावाचक-अव्यय (adverb: from all sides/everywhere)

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karta (Agent-instrument/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• etāni: these
• etāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन

• kṛtāni: made; created
• kṛtāni: Predicate adjective (Vidheyaviśeṣaṇa/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √kṛ (कृ) (कृदन्त; क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि (past passive participle)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Avadhāraṇa (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (only/indeed)

• mahābhakti-kṛpā-vaśāt: due to the power of great devotion and compassion
• mahābhakti-kṛpā-vaśāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-bhakti-kṛpā-vaśa (प्रातिपदिक; mahā + bhakti + kṛpā + vaśa)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (kṛpāyā vaśaḥ; mahābhaktyā saha)

Speaker

Śiva (doctrinal voice within Kāśī Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Caturdaśa-liṅga of Avimukta (Śiva-pratiṣṭhita)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva in a cosmic posture draws ‘essences’ from the fourteen worlds/directions as streams of light and installs them into fourteen liṅgas in Kāśī; devotees witness with awe, Devī beside Him.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga
• Mukti
• Kāśī-kṣetra
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s liṅgas embody a universal spiritual essence and grant liberation through Śiva’s compassionate design.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī-kṣetra (Avimukta), presented as a condensation of the merit of all worlds.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied: devotion (bhakti) expressed through worship and reverence of these liṅgas as a path to mukti.