Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 77

Devanagari script

विचार्येति गणैः काश्यां स्वामिद्रोहोपशांतये । प्रतिष्ठितानि लिंगानि महापातकभिंद्यपि

Transliteration

vicāryeti gaṇaiḥ kāśyāṃ svāmidrohopaśāṃtaye | pratiṣṭhitāni liṃgāni mahāpātakabhiṃdyapi

Translation

സ്വാമിദ്രോഹദോഷം ശമിപ്പാൻ ഗണങ്ങൾ ആലോചിച്ച് കാശിയിൽ ലിംഗങ്ങൾ പ്രതിഷ്ഠിച്ചു. ആ പ്രതിഷ്ഠിത ലിംഗങ്ങൾ മഹാപാതകങ്ങളെയും പോലും ഭേദിച്ച് നശിപ്പിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• विचार्य: having deliberated
• विचार्य: Kriya-viseshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वि-चर् (धातु) + ल्यप् (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive)

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण/निगमन-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• गणैः: by the gaṇas (attendants)
• गणैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (Locus/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (अधिकरण), एकवचन

• स्वामिद्रोह: treachery against one’s lord
• स्वामिद्रोह: Samasa-anga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वामि + द्रोह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (स्वामिनः द्रोहः), समासपूर्वपद (स्वामिद्रोह-उपशान्तये)

• उपशान्तये: for pacification/cessation
• उपशान्तये: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उपशान्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (सम्प्रदान), एकवचन

• प्रतिष्ठितानि: established
• प्रतिष्ठितानि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रति-स्था (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्यय (past passive participle), कर्मणि-भाव; लिङ्गानि इति विशेषण

• लिङ्गानि: liṅgas
• लिङ्गानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• महापातक: great sin
• महापातक: Samasa-anga (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा + पातक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, समासपूर्वपद (महापातक-भिन्दि-अपि); कर्मधारय (महच्च तत् पातकम्)

• भिन्दि: destroying/cleaving
• भिन्दि: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भिद् (धातु) + णिनि (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: णिनि-प्रत्ययान्त (agent noun), पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग-समासान्त; ‘भेदक’ अर्थे; लिङ्गानि इति विशेषण

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय/अप्यर्थ-अव्यय (particle: even/also)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (Gaṇa-pratiṣṭhita-liṅga tradition)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva’s Gaṇas, after deliberation, consecrate multiple liṅgas in Kāśī as an act of appeasement for svāmi-droha; the city’s sacred skyline frames the rite.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Gaṇa
• Śiva
• Liṅga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is portrayed as a supreme place where Śiva-worship and liṅga-pratiṣṭhā can pacify grave faults and dissolve heavy sin.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), presented as the efficacious ground for consecrating liṅgas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pratiṣṭhā (consecration/establishment) of Śiva-liṅgas as an act of atonement (upaśānti).