Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 23

Devanagari script

दिग्गजेर्गिरिभिस्तीर्थेरृक्ष वानर किन्नरैः । पतत्रिप्रमुखैर्देवि स्वस्वनामांकितानि वै

Transliteration

diggajergiribhistīrtherṛkṣa vānara kinnaraiḥ | patatripramukhairdevi svasvanāmāṃkitāni vai

Translation

ಹೇ ದೇವಿ! ದಿಗ್ಗಜಗಳು, ಪರ್ವತಗಳು, ತೀರ್ಥಗಳು, ಕರಡಿಗಳು, ವಾನರಗಳು, ಕಿನ್ನರರು ಮತ್ತು ಪಕ್ಷಿಗಳ ನಾಯಕರು ಪ್ರತಿಷ್ಠಿಸಿದವುಗಳು ಅವರವರ ಹೆಸರಿನಿಂದಲೇ ಅಂಕಿತವಾಗಿವೆ।

Word by Word

• diggajaiḥ: by the elephants of the quarters
• diggajaiḥ: Karaṇa/Hetu (Instrument/Agentive-instr.)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dik-gaja (प्रातिपदिकानि: dik + gaja)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; ‘direction-elephants’

• giribhiḥ: by mountains
• giribhiḥ: Karaṇa/Hetu (Instrument/Agentive-instr.)
• Type: Noun
• Root: giri (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• tīrthaiḥ: by sacred fords/holy places
• tīrthaiḥ: Karaṇa/Hetu (Instrument/Agentive-instr.)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tīrtha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे तृतीया विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• ṛkṣa: bears
• ṛkṣa: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛkṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा विभक्तिः, बहुवचनार्थे (समूह/जातिवाचक; पाठानुसार पदच्छेदे ‘ṛkṣaiḥ’ अपेक्षितः, किन्तु IAST ‘rṛkṣa’ इति संधि-भ्रंशः)

• vānara: monkeys
• vānara: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vānara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे प्रथमा विभक्तिः, बहुवचनार्थे (पाठानुसार ‘vānaraḥ/ vānaraīḥ’ भेदः सम्भवः; संदर्भे तृतीया बहुवचनम् अपेक्षितम्)

• kinnaraiḥ: by Kinnaras
• kinnaraiḥ: Karaṇa/Hetu (Instrument/Agentive-instr.)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kinnara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• patatripramukhaiḥ: by those headed by birds
• patatripramukhaiḥ: Karaṇa/Hetu (Instrument/Agentive-instr.)
• Type: Noun
• Root: patatri-pramukha (प्रातिपदिकानि: patatri + pramukha)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे तृतीया विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; ‘with birds as the foremost’

• devi: O Goddess
• devi: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: devī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे संबोधन विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• svasvanāmāṃkitāni: inscribed with their own names
• svasvanāmāṃkitāni: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sva-sva-nāma-aṅkita (कृदन्त/प्रातिपदिक; sva + sva + nāma + aṅkita; √aṅk (धातु) + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा/द्वितीया विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्; कर्मणि भूतकृदन्त ‘marked/inscribed’

• vai: indeed
• vai: Avadhāraṇa (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ānandakānana (Avimukta/Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A ‘map-like’ procession of liṅgas each inscribed with a name: directional elephants at the four quarters, mountains personified, tīrthas as river-deities, and animal-beings (bear, monkey) and kinnaras and great birds paying homage; each liṅga has a small name-plaque.

Characters & Entities

• Pārvatī
• Diggaja
• Giri (mountains)
• Tīrtha
• Ṛkṣa
• Vānara
• Kinnara
• Patatri (birds)
• Śiva-liṅga
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

In Kāśī, devotion leaves a sacred imprint: liṅgas become living memorials of the beings and powers that consecrated them.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī’s liṅga-field, where even tīrthas and cosmic beings are envisioned as consecrators.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit prescription; it highlights nāmāṅkita (name-marked) consecrations as part of the kṣetra’s tradition.