Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 84

Devanagari script

तदुत्तरे बाष्कुलीशं लिंगं सर्वार्थसिद्धिदम् । बाष्कुलीशाद्दक्षिणतो लिंगं वै कौस्तुभेश्वरम्

Transliteration

taduttare bāṣkulīśaṃ liṃgaṃ sarvārthasiddhidam | bāṣkulīśāddakṣiṇato liṃgaṃ vai kaustubheśvaram

Translation

അതിന്റെ വടക്കായി ‘ബാഷ്കുലീശ’ എന്ന ലിംഗം ഉണ്ട്; അത് എല്ലാ ലക്ഷ്യങ്ങളുടെയും സിദ്ധി നൽകുന്നു. ബാഷ്കുലീശയുടെ തെക്കായി ‘കൗസ്തുഭേശ്വര’ ലിംഗം ഉണ്ട്.

Word by Word

• तत्: of that
• तत्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (of that)

• उत्तरे: to the north of / beyond
• उत्तरे: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उत्तर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; दिशावाचक-विशेषण (to the north/above)

• बाष्कुलीशम्: Bāṣkulīśa (name of Śiva/linga)
• बाष्कुलीशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाष्कुलीश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Apposition/Viśeṣya (Core noun/विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• सर्वार्थसिद्धिदम्: granting success in all aims
• सर्वार्थसिद्धिदम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व-अर्थ-सिद्धि-द (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (सर्वेषां अर्थानां सिद्धिः यस्मात्/येन) + कृदन्त-प्रत्ययान्त 'द' (giver)

• बाष्कुलीशात्: from Bāṣkulīśa
• बाष्कुलीशात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाष्कुलीश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन

• दक्षिणतः: to the south of
• दक्षिणतः: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दक्षिणतः (अव्यय)
• Form: दिशावाचक-अव्यय (directional adverb: 'to the south/right of')

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle of emphasis/indeed)

• कौस्तुभेश्वरम्: Kaustubheśvara (name of Śiva/linga)
• कौस्तुभेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कौस्तुभ-ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कौस्तुभस्य ईश्वरः)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Bāṣkulīśa and Kaustubheśvara (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Mahādevī (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A stylized map-like scene: two shrines aligned on a north-south axis—Bāṣkulīśa to the north, Kaustubheśvara to the south—connected by a pilgrim path with offerings; above, a subtle mandala suggests Kāśī’s sacred geometry.

Characters & Entities

• Bāṣkulīśa liṅga
• Kaustubheśvara liṅga
• Kapileśvara (implied chain of locations)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s sacred landscape is a mapped sequence of grace-filled liṅgas, each conferring specific forms of siddhi to pilgrims.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Bāṣkulīśa liṅga (north) and Kaustubheśvara liṅga (south of Bāṣkulīśa) in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied liṅga-darśana/arcana through pilgrimage sequencing; explicit rites are not detailed in this verse.