Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

विश्वकर्मेश्वरं लिंगं ज्ञानदं च तदुत्तरे । महामुंडेश्वरं लिंगं तस्य दक्षिणतः शुभम्

Transliteration

viśvakarmeśvaraṃ liṃgaṃ jñānadaṃ ca taduttare | mahāmuṃḍeśvaraṃ liṃgaṃ tasya dakṣiṇataḥ śubham

Translation

Au nord se dresse le liṅga nommé Viśvakarmeśvara, dispensateur de la connaissance spirituelle. Au sud se trouve l’auspicieux liṅga connu sous le nom de Mahāmuṇḍeśvara.

Word by Word

• विश्वकर्मेश्वरम्: Viśvakarma-īśvara (name)
• विश्वकर्मेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वकर्मन् + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (विश्वकर्मणः ईश्वरः)

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga (Śiva-emblem)
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• ज्ञानदम्: bestowing knowledge
• ज्ञानदम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्ञान + द (कृदन्त; √दा धातु)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; उपपद-तत्पुरुष (ज्ञानं ददाति)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय

• तत्: to its/that
• तत्: Adhikarana (Reference point/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; ‘तस्मिन्’ अर्थे (locative pronoun)

• उत्तरे: to the north (of it)
• उत्तरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• महामुण्डेश्वरम्: Mahāmuṇḍeśvara (name)
• महामुण्डेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महā + मुण्ड + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (महान् मुण्डः यस्य/मुण्डानां ईश्वरः—नामरूपेण)

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• तस्य: of it/of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन

• दक्षिणतः: to the south (of)
• दक्षिणतः: Adhikarana (Spatial relation/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दक्षिणतस् (अव्यय; तसिल्)
• Form: तसिल्-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (directional/ablatival adverb)

• शुभम्: auspicious
• शुभम्: Karma (Object complement/कर्मसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया/प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (context: ‘(स्थितं) शुभम्’)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa context: Skanda to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viśvakarmeśvara Liṅga; Mahāmuṇḍeśvara Liṅga (associated with the Aṅgāraka Tīrtha precinct)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A small sacred precinct: the tīrtha at center, a northern shrine with a liṅga labeled Viśvakarmeśvara radiating a subtle ‘knowledge’ aura, and a southern shrine of Mahāmuṇḍeśvara with protective, auspicious presence; pilgrims move in a clockwise mini-parikrama.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Viśvakarmeśvara Liṅga
• Mahāmuṇḍeśvara Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is mapped as a living sacred landscape where specific Śiva-liṅgas grant distinct spiritual fruits, including jñāna.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The liṅgas Viśvakarmeśvara and Mahāmuṇḍeśvara situated within Kāśī’s tīrtha-topography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, liṅga-darśana and worship at these named shrines; no explicit dāna/japa detail is stated in this verse.