Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 26

Devanagari script

गच्छ वाराणसीं व्यास यत्र विश्वेश्वरः स्वयम् । न तत्र युगधर्मोस्ति न च लग्ना वसुंधरा

Transliteration

gaccha vārāṇasīṃ vyāsa yatra viśveśvaraḥ svayam | na tatra yugadharmosti na ca lagnā vasuṃdharā

Translation

« Va à Vārāṇasī, ô Vyāsa, où demeure Viśveśvara en personne. Là, les contraintes du dharma propre à l’âge ne prévalent pas, et la terre n’est pas liée par une limite ordinaire. »

Word by Word

• गच्छ: go
• गच्छ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √गम् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन

• वाराणसीम्: Vārāṇasī
• वाराणसीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• व्यास: O Vyāsa
• व्यास: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th), एकवचन

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• विश्वेश्वरः: Lord of the universe (Viśveśvara)
• विश्वेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्व + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; विश्वस्य ईश्वरः इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• स्वयम्: himself
• स्वयम्: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (emphatic/reflexive adverb)

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय

• युगधर्मः: the law/condition of the age
• युगधर्मः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युग + धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; युगस्य धर्मः इति षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष

• अस्ति: is/exists
• अस्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Pratishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक अव्यय

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय

• लग्ना: fixed/attached
• लग्ना: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: लग्न (प्रातिपदिक; कृदन्त-आधार)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; ‘attached/fixed’—वसुंधरा-विशेषण

• वसुंधरा: the earth
• वसुंधरा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसुंधरा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Kāśī-khaṇḍa dialogue framework)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Vārāṇasī (Kāśī/Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and sages (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A commanding instruction to journey: the speaker gestures toward Kāśī; in the visionary background rises the Viśveśvara liṅga-temple, Gaṅgā flowing, and a subtle cosmic motif showing time’s wheel (yuga) fading at the kṣetra boundary.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī
• Kāśī
• Viśveśvara (Śiva)
• Vyāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is portrayed as transcending ordinary worldly constraints; proximity to Viśveśvara grants exceptional spiritual freedom and sanctity.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī (Kāśī), especially the presence of Viśveśvara (Śiva) as the heart of the tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The prescription is pilgrimage itself—“go to Vārāṇasī”; further bathing and worship acts appear in following verses.