Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 54

Devanagari script

अस्मिन्क्षेत्रे ध्रुवं मुक्तिरिति या प्रथिति प्रिये । कारणं तत्र लिंगानि ममैतानि चतुर्दश

Transliteration

asminkṣetre dhruvaṃ muktiriti yā prathiti priye | kāraṇaṃ tatra liṃgāni mamaitāni caturdaśa

Translation

Bien-aimée, la parole renommée selon laquelle «dans ce champ sacré la délivrance est certaine» a pour cause ces quatorze liṅgas qui sont Miens.

Word by Word

• asmin: in this
• asmin: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• kṣetre: in the field (holy place)
• kṣetre: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• dhruvam: certainly
• dhruvam: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: dhruva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण नपुंसक-एकवचन (adverbial accusative: certainly)

• muktiḥ: liberation
• muktiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• iti: thus
• iti: Vākyārtha-sūcaka (Quotation marker/इति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/वाक्यपरिसमाप्त्यर्थक-अव्यय (quotative particle)

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

• prathitiḥ: renown; established belief
• prathitiḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prathiti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• priye: O beloved
• priye: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: priyā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• kāraṇam: cause
• kāraṇam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• tatra: there; in that regard
• tatra: Deśa/Prakaraṇa (Context/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb: there/in that matter)

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

• mama: my
• mama: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• etāni: these
• etāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• caturdaśa: fourteen
• caturdaśa: Viśeṣaṇa (Numeral adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caturdaśa (संख्याशब्द-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक, नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचन-विशेषण (qualifying liṃgāni/etāni); द्विगु-समास

Speaker

Śiva (addressing Pārvatī; within Kāśī-khaṇḍa teaching)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī (caturdaśa-liṅga-kāraṇa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī (addressed as priyā)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A didactic tableau: Śiva points to fourteen liṅgas as the ‘reason’ behind Kāśī’s liberation-fame; the words ‘dhruvā muktiḥ’ appear as a banner over the ghats, grounded by the shrines below.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī-kṣetra
• Mukti
• Liṅga
• Pārvatī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s promise of liberation rests on concrete sacred centers—Śiva’s fourteen liṅgas.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī-kṣetra, famed for ‘dhruva-mukti’ (certain liberation).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is listed; the verse points to liṅga-upāsanā as the underlying basis of Kāśī’s liberating fame.