Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 20

Devanagari script

मुनेऽन्यच्च महालिंगं करुणेश्वरसंज्ञितम् । मोक्षद्वार समीपे तु मोक्षद्वारेश्वराग्रतः

Transliteration

mune'nyacca mahāliṃgaṃ karuṇeśvarasaṃjñitam | mokṣadvāra samīpe tu mokṣadvāreśvarāgrataḥ

Translation

मुने, अन्यच्च महालिङ्गं करुणेश्वरसंज्ञितम्। मोक्षद्वारसमीपे तु मोक्षद्वारेश्वराग्रतः स्थितम्॥

Word by Word

• mune: O sage
• mune: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• anyat: another
• anyat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन — Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular (qualifying 'liṅgam')

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (Conjunctive/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय (conjunction)

• mahāliṅgam: the great liṅga
• mahāliṅgam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā + liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• karuṇeśvara-saṃjñitam: called ‘Karuṇeśvara’
• karuṇeśvara-saṃjñitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: karuṇeśvara + saṃjñita (कृदन्त; √jñā (धा.) + सम् + क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन — Neuter, Accusative, Singular; ‘करुणेश्वर’ इति संज्ञा यस्य — ‘named Karuṇeśvara’

• mokṣadvāra: (the place called) Mokṣadvāra
• mokṣadvāra: Samāsa-pada (Name/नामपद)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mokṣa + dvāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषसमास; प्रातिपदिकरूपेण — ‘मोक्षस्य द्वारम्’ (name: Mokṣadvāra)

• samīpe: near
• samīpe: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samīpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन — Neuter, Locative, Singular

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; विरोध/विशेषार्थक (particle: ‘but/indeed’)

• mokṣadvāreśvara-agrataḥ: in front of Mokṣadvāreśvara
• mokṣadvāreśvara-agrataḥ: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: mokṣadvāra + īśvara + agrataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय ‘अग्रतः’ (in front of) + षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषसमास: ‘मोक्षद्वारेश्वरस्य अग्रतः’

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Karuṇeśvara (Liṅga) near Mokṣadvāra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Muni (sage) addressed as ‘mune’

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A narrow Kāśī lane opens to a small shrine: Karuṇeśvara-liṅga aligned directly before Mokṣadvāreśvara, with a symbolic archway labeled ‘Mokṣadvāra’; pilgrims pause at the threshold with folded hands.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Mokṣadvāra
• Mokṣadvāreśvara
• Karuṇeśvara (Śiva-liṅga)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is mapped as a sacred landscape where specific Śiva-liṅgas embody liberation; knowing their locations is part of pilgrimage-dharma.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Karuṇeśvara Liṅga situated near Mokṣadvāra, facing Mokṣadvāreśvara in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed here; the verse primarily gives the sthāna (location) of the Karuṇeśvara Liṅga.