Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 63

Devanagari script

यत्र विश्वेश्वरः साक्षाद्यत्र स्वर्गतरंगिणी । मिथ्या तत्रानुमन्यंते तार्किकाश्चानुसूयकाः

Transliteration

yatra viśveśvaraḥ sākṣādyatra svargataraṃgiṇī | mithyā tatrānumanyaṃte tārkikāścānusūyakāḥ

Translation

ಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾಕ್ಷಾತ್ ವಿಶ್ವೇಶ್ವರ (ಶಿವ) ವಿರಾಜಮಾನನಾಗಿದ್ದಾನೋ ಮತ್ತು ಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ವರ್ಗತರಂಗಿಣೀ ಗಂಗೆಯು ಹರಿಯುತ್ತದೋ, ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಸಹ ಅಸೂಯೆಯ ತಾರ್ಕಿಕರು ಎಲ್ಲವನ್ನೂ ‘ಮಿಥ್ಯ’ವೆಂದು ಭಾವಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ।

Word by Word

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: “where”)

• विश्वेश्वरः: Viśveśvara (Lord of the universe)
• विश्वेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्वेश्वर (प्रातिपदिक; विश्व + ईश्वर)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• साक्षात्: directly, in person
• साक्षात्: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: साक्षात् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: “directly, manifestly”)

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: “where”)

• स्वर्गतरंगिणी: the heavenly river (Gaṅgā)
• स्वर्गतरंगिणी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्गतरंगिणी (प्रातिपदिक; स्वर्ग + तरंगिणी)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन (Singular)

• मिथ्या: falsely
• मिथ्या: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: मिथ्या (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; क्रियाविशेषण (adverb: “falsely, wrongly”)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: “there”)

• अनुमन्यन्ते: they approve/assent
• अनुमन्यन्ते: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु√मन् (धातु; मनँ—ज्ञाने)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (Plural); आत्मनेपद

• तार्किकाः: logicians
• तार्किकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तार्किक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक-निपात (conjunction: “and”)

• अनुसूयकाः: cavillers, fault-finders
• अनुसूयकाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनुसूयक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन (Plural)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Viśveśvara-Kāśī and Gaṅgā-tīra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A sage (muni) addressed within the passage

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotional tableau of Viśveśvara’s liṅga radiating presence beside the flowing Gaṅgā, while austere logicians stand aside in doubt, their scrolls and debate-gestures contrasted with pilgrims offering water and flowers.

Characters & Entities

• Viśveśvara
• Gaṅgā
• Kāśī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Do not reduce sacred reality to mere argument; Kāśī’s holiness rests on living divine presence—Śiva and Gaṅgā.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), especially Viśveśvara’s presence and the Gaṅgā.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse emphasizes faith in the manifest sanctity of the place.