Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

आनंदकानने मुक्त्यै प्रोक्तान्येतानि सुंदरि । प्रिये चतुर्दशेज्यानि महालिंगानि देहिनाम्

Transliteration

ānaṃdakānane muktyai proktānyetāni suṃdari | priye caturdaśejyāni mahāliṃgāni dehinām

Translation

സുന്ദരീ, ആനന്ദകാനനത്തിൽ മോക്ഷത്തിനായി ഇവ പ്രസ്താവിക്കപ്പെട്ടവയാണ്. പ്രിയേ, ദേഹികള്ക്കായി ഈ പതിനാലു മഹാലിംഗങ്ങളാണ് ആരാധ്യങ്ങൾ.

Word by Word

• आनन्दकानने: in the Ānanda-grove
• आनन्दकानने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आनन्द + कानन (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (आनन्दस्य काननम्)

• मुक्त्यै: for liberation
• मुक्त्यै: Sampradana/Purpose (Recipient/Purpose)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4), एकवचन

• प्रोक्तानि: have been proclaimed
• प्रोक्तानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-√वच् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; ‘have been proclaimed’

• एतानि: these
• एतानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन

• सुन्दरि: O beautiful one
• सुन्दरि: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुन्दरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8), एकवचन

• प्रिये: O beloved
• प्रिये: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, संबोधन (8), एकवचन

• चतुर्दश: fourteen
• चतुर्दश: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्दश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याविशेषणम्; एज्यानि इति विशेष्यस्य संख्या

• एज्यानि: worthy of worship
• एज्यानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एज्य (प्रातिपदिक; from √यज् (धातु) with यत्/ण्यत् sense ‘worthy of worship’)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; विशेषणम् (worship-worthy)

• महालिङ्गानि: great Liṅgas
• महालिङ्गानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिकौ)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः

• देहिनाम्: of embodied beings
• देहिनाम्: Shashthi-sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), बहुवचन; ‘embodied beings’

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Ānandakānana (within Kāśī/Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sacred grove (kānana) filled with flowering trees and small shrines; fourteen radiant liṅgas appear like pillars of light, with Śiva’s presence pervading the forest-bliss atmosphere.

Characters & Entities

• Ānandakānana (Kāśī)
• Fourteen Mahāliṅgas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī as Ānandakānana is explicitly taught as a liberation-zone, and its fourteen mahāliṅgas form a complete devotional program for seekers.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ānandakānana—Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)—as a mukti-bestowing sacred forest/city.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Ijya/arcana (worship) of the fourteen mahāliṅgas is recommended for embodied beings seeking liberation.