Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 87

Devanagari script

अघोरोद इति ख्यातो वाजिमेधफलप्रदः । गर्गेशो दमनेशश्च तत्र लिंगद्वयं शुभम्

Transliteration

aghoroda iti khyāto vājimedhaphalapradaḥ | gargeśo damaneśaśca tatra liṃgadvayaṃ śubham

Translation

ഇത് ‘അഘോരോദ’ എന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധം; അശ്വമേധയാഗഫലം നൽകുന്നതാണ്. അവിടെ ഗർഗേശനും ദമനേശനും എന്ന രണ്ടു ശുഭലിംഗങ്ങൾ വിരാജിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• अघोरोदः: Aghoroda (name)
• अघोरोदः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अघोरोद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• ख्यातः: is known (as)
• ख्यातः: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ख्या (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past passive participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; कर्मणि-भावः (known/called)

• वाजिमेधफलप्रदः: giver of the fruit of the Aśvamedha sacrifice
• वाजिमेधफलप्रदः: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वाजि + मेध + फल + प्रद (प्रातिपदिक); प्रद < प्र-दा (धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (वाजिमेधस्य फलम् → तस्य प्रदः)

• गर्गेशः: Gargeśa (Lord of Garga)
• गर्गेशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गर्ग + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (गर्गस्य ईशः)

• दमनेशः: Damaneśa (Lord of Damana)
• दमनेशः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दमन + ईश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (दमनस्य ईशः)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-बोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• लिङ्गद्वयम्: the pair of liṅgas
• लिङ्गद्वयम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग + द्वय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (1st/2nd), एकवचन; द्विगु-समासः (द्वे लिङ्गे)

• शुभम्: auspicious
• शुभम्: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शुभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; लिङ्गद्वयम्-विशेषणम्

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Aghoroda

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-seeking interlocutors (sages/devotees)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A compact Kāśī shrine-lane opening to a small sanctum where two polished black stone liṅgas stand side-by-side, garlanded; pilgrims offer bilva leaves and lamps under a canopy of bells.

Characters & Entities

• Aghoroda
• Gargeśa
• Damaneśa
• Aśvamedha (Vājimedha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī magnifies devotion: honoring its sacred liṅgas can yield merits praised as equal to great Vedic sacrifices.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Aghoroda in Kāśī, along with the twin liṅgas named Gargeśa and Damaneśa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Reverence/worship of the liṅgas at Aghoroda is implied as the means to obtain exalted merit (Aśvamedha-like fruit).