Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

वाचि वाराणसी येषां श्रुतौ वैश्वेश्वरी कथा । त एव काशी लिंगानि वराण्यर्च्यान्यहं यथा

Transliteration

vāci vārāṇasī yeṣāṃ śrutau vaiśveśvarī kathā | ta eva kāśī liṃgāni varāṇyarcyānyahaṃ yathā

Translation

Ceux dont les lèvres prononcent « Vārāṇasī » et dont l’oreille reçoit le récit sacré de Viśveśvara, ceux-là mêmes sont les liṅgas bénis de Kāśī, dignes d’adoration, tout comme moi.

Word by Word

• वाचि: in (their) speech
• वाचि: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• वाराणसी: Vārāṇasī
• वाराणसी: Karta (Predicate nominal/content)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; (apposition to implied subject-content)

• येषाम्: of whom
• येषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी, बहुवचन

• श्रुतौ: in (their) hearing/ear
• श्रुतौ: Adhikaraṇa (Locative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रुति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

• वैश्वेश्वरी: pertaining to Viśveśvara
• वैश्वेश्वरी: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वैश्वेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक) + ङीप् (स्त्री)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण of ‘कथा’

• कथा: story, discourse
• कथा: Karta (Predicate nominal/content)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कथा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• एव: indeed
• एव: Avadhāraṇa (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय

• काशी: Kāśī
• काशी: Karta (Predicate nominal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; (appositional epithet)

• लिङ्गानि: liṅgas
• लिङ्गानि: Karta (Predicate nominal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• वराणि: excellent, best
• वराणि: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; विशेषण of ‘लिङ्गानि’

• अर्च्यानि: worthy to be worshipped
• अर्च्यानि: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्च्य (प्रातिपदिक; यत्-प्रत्ययान्त from अर्च्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; ‘worthy of worship’

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा, एकवचन

• यथा: as, just as
• यथा: Upamā/Prakāra (Manner)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (comparative/according-to particle)

Speaker

Viśveśa/Śiva (quoted within Skanda’s narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viśveśvara in Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: temple

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Internal narratee (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee chants ‘Vārāṇasī’ while another listens to a storyteller narrating Viśveśvara-kathā; their mouths/ears glow with sacred light, and a liṅga-symbol appears as a subtle aura around them.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī
• Kāśī
• Viśveśvara (Vaiśveśvarī kathā)
• Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Nāma (uttering the holy place-name) and śravaṇa (hearing sacred discourse) sanctify devotees, making them worthy of reverence in Kāśī.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī/Kāśī, especially through remembrance of its name and hearing the Viśveśvara-kathā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Speak the name ‘Vārāṇasī’ and listen to the sacred discourse about Viśveśvara (kathā-śravaṇa).