Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

क्षेत्रमेतत्त्रिशूलाग्रे शूलिनस्तिष्ठति द्विज । अंतरिक्षेन भूमिष्ठं नेक्षंते मूढबुद्धयः

Transliteration

kṣetrametattriśūlāgre śūlinastiṣṭhati dvija | aṃtarikṣena bhūmiṣṭhaṃ nekṣaṃte mūḍhabuddhayaḥ

Translation

ഹേ ദ്വിജാ! ശൂലധാരിയായ ശിവന്റെ ത്രിശൂലത്തിന്റെ അഗ്രത്തിൽ ഈ ക്ഷേത്രപ്രദേശം നിലകൊള്ളുന്നു. ഭൂമിയിൽ സ്ഥാപിതമായിട്ടും, അന്തരീക്ഷസ്വഭാവമുള്ളതിനാൽ മൂഢബുദ്ധികൾ അതിനെ കാണുന്നില്ല.

Word by Word

• kṣetram: the sacred field
• kṣetram: Karma/Pradhana (Object/Theme)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन

• etat: this
• etat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सर्वनाम विशेषण

• triśūla-agre: on the tip of the trident
• triśūla-agre: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: triśūla (प्रातिपदिक) + agra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/सप्तमी), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘त्रिशूलस्य अग्रे’)

• śūlinaḥ: of the trident-bearer (Śiva)
• śūlinaḥ: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śūlin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन; ‘शूलिन्’ (trident-bearer)

• tiṣṭhati: stands; remains
• tiṣṭhati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sthā (स्था)
• Form: लट् (present indicative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• dvija: O twice-born (brahmin)
• dvija: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dvija (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचन

• aṃtarikṣeṇa: through the sky; by the air
• aṃtarikṣeṇa: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: aṃtarikṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; करणार्थ (by/through)

• bhūmiṣṭham: standing on the ground; earth-based
• bhūmiṣṭham: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: bhūmiṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; विशेषण

• na: not
• na: Negation
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात

• ikṣante: they see
• ikṣante: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √īkṣ (ईक्ष्)
• Form: लट् (present indicative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन; आत्मनेपद

• mūḍha-buddhayaḥ: those of deluded intellect
• mūḍha-buddhayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mūḍha (कृदन्त; √muh मुह् + kta) + buddhi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), बहुवचन; बहुव्रीहि-समास (‘मूढा बुद्धिः येषाम्’)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta / Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: A dvija (explicitly addressed) / sages

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva stands as cosmic pillar; from his triśūla rises a luminous miniature Kāśī-city at the tip, while ordinary townsfolk below see only mundane streets; sages perceive the radiant kṣetra hovering in mid-space.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Śūlin)
• Triśūla
• Kāśī/Avimukta (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s holiness is not merely physical; it is a divine reality grasped through devotion and right understanding.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Avimukta/Kāśī, linked directly to Śiva as Śūlin (the trident-bearer).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is given; the emphasis is on spiritual perception (darśana) and the kṣetra’s transcendence.