Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 19

Devanagari script

पुलहेश पुलस्त्येशौ स्वर्गद्वारस्य पश्चिमे । तौ दृष्ट्वा मनुजो लोके प्राजापत्ये महीयते

Transliteration

pulaheśa pulastyeśau svargadvārasya paścime | tau dṛṣṭvā manujo loke prājāpatye mahīyate

Translation

ಪುಲಹೇಶ ಮತ್ತು ಪುಲಸ್ತ್ಯೇಶರು ಸ್ವರ್ಗದ್ವಾರದ ಪಶ್ಚಿಮದಲ್ಲಿ ಇದ್ದಾರೆ. ಆ ಇಬ್ಬರ ದರ್ಶನದಿಂದ ಮನುಷ್ಯನು ಪ್ರಾಜಾಪತ್ಯ ಲೋಕದಲ್ಲಿ ಗೌರವಿಸಲ್ಪಡುತ್ತಾನೆ.

Word by Word

• पुलहेश: Pulaheśa
• पुलहेश: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुलह + ईश (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; (नाम)

• पुलस्त्येशौ: Pulastyeśa (and)
• पुलस्त्येशौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुलस्त्य + ईश (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), द्विवचन; Nominative dual (paired with Pulaheśa as two deities)

• स्वर्गद्वारस्य: of the gate to heaven
• स्वर्गद्वारस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग + द्वार (प्रातिपदिक; समास)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; Genitive singular

• पश्चिमे: in the west
• पश्चिमे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पश्चिम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; Locative singular (in the west)

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), द्विवचन; Pronoun, accusative dual

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Kriya (Gerundial action/क्रियाविशेष)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दृश् (धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (gerund); पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having seen)

• मनुजः: a man
• मनुजः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनुज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; Nominative singular

• लोके: in the world
• लोके: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; Locative singular

• प्राजापत्ये: in the Prajāpatya (world)
• प्राजापत्ये: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राजापत्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; Locative singular

• महीयते: is honored, is glorified
• महीयते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मह् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (passive/mediopassive sense: is honored)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Pulaheśa; Pulastyeśa (Svargadvāra-paścima)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A western approach from Svargadvāra: two small adjacent Śiva shrines—Pulaheśa and Pulastyeśa—stand like guardians; pilgrims move between them with lamps; the atmosphere is liminal, with the sense of a ‘gate’ nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Pulaheśa
• Pulastyeśa
• Svargadvāra
• Prājāpatya-loka

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s sacred landscape is a ladder of merit: darśana of named liṅgas grants honor and elevated post-mortem attainments.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Svargadvāra in Kāśī and, to its west, the liṅgas Pulaheśa and Pulastyeśa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana of the two liṅgas (Pulaheśa and Pulastyeśa) is the stated observance and source of merit.