Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

मंदराद्रिगतेनापि क्षेत्रं नैतत्पिनाकिना । विमुक्तं लिंगरूपेण अविमुक्तमतः स्मृतम्

Transliteration

maṃdarādrigatenāpi kṣetraṃ naitatpinākinā | vimuktaṃ liṃgarūpeṇa avimuktamataḥ smṛtam

Translation

മന്ദരപർവ്വതത്തിലേക്കു പോയിട്ടും പിനാകി (ശിവൻ) ഈ ക്ഷേത്രഭൂമിയെ ഉപേക്ഷിച്ചില്ല. ലിംഗരൂപത്തിൽ ഇത് വിമുക്തമാകാതിരുന്നതിനാൽ, അതുകൊണ്ടുതന്നെ ഇത് ‘അവിമുക്ത’—ഒരിക്കലും ഉപേക്ഷിക്കാത്തത്—എന്ന് സ്മരിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു.

Word by Word

• मन्दराद्रिगतेन: by (one) who had gone to Mount Mandara
• मन्दराद्रिगतेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मन्दर-अद्रि-गत (प्रातिपदिक; मन्दर + अद्रि + गत)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; ‘गत’ (क्त) कृदन्त; तत्पुरुषसमासः (‘gone to/on Mandara-mountain’) — ‘पिनाकिना’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (even)

• क्षेत्रम्: the sacred field/region
• क्षेत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; अत्र कर्म (विमुक्तम् इत्यनेन)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• पिनाकिना: by Pinākin (Śiva)
• पिनाकिना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पिनाकिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; शिवस्य नाम (‘bearer of Pināka’)

• विमुक्तम्: was abandoned/released
• विमुक्तम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-√मुच् (धातु) + विमुक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘was released/abandoned’

• लिङ्गरूपेण: in the form of a liṅga
• लिङ्गरूपेण: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग-रूप (प्रातिपदिक; लिङ्ग + रूप)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/करण), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषसमासः (‘in the form of a liṅga’)

• अविमुक्तम्: not abandoned
• अविमुक्तम्: Visheshya (Predicate/विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-वि-√मुच् (धातु) + अविमुक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (‘not abandoned’) — ‘(एतत् क्षेत्रम्) अविमुक्तम्’

• अतः: therefore
• अतः: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; हेत्वर्थक/तस्मात्-अर्थे (therefore/from this reason)

• स्मृतम्: is called/remembered as
• स्मृतम्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्मृ (धातु) + स्मृत (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त; कर्मणि प्रयोगे ‘is called/remembered’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/assembly (typical frame; not stated in verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva with Pināka bow departing toward Mandara while a luminous liṅga remains in Kāśī, anchoring the city; a visual split-scene showing ‘movement’ and ‘non-abandonment’ simultaneously.

Characters & Entities

• Mandara
• Pinākin (Śiva)
• Liṅga
• Avimukta

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s holiness is grounded in Śiva’s unbroken presence; the divine does not abandon the liberating field.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Avimukta Kṣetra—Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), defined as the place never abandoned by Śiva.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; the verse implies liṅga-worship as the mode through which Śiva remains present in the kṣetra.