Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 48

Devanagari script

काश्यां चतुर्दशैतानि महालिंगानि सुंदरि । इमानि मुक्तिहेतूनि लिंगान्यानंदकानने

Transliteration

kāśyāṃ caturdaśaitāni mahāliṃgāni suṃdari | imāni muktihetūni liṃgānyānaṃdakānane

Translation

அழகியவளே, காசியில் இவை பதினான்கு மகாலிங்கங்கள்; ஆனந்தகானனத்தில் அமைந்த இவை முக்திக்குக் காரணமான லிங்கங்கள்।

Word by Word

• काश्याम्: in Kāśī
• काश्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग (Feminine), सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• चतुर्दश: fourteen
• चतुर्दश: Visheshana (Numeral qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्दशन् (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: संख्यावाचक, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचनार्थे अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (indeclinable-like numeral usage)

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

• महा-लिङ्गानि: great liṅgas
• महा-लिङ्गानि: Karta (Apposition to subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (अव्यय/उपसर्गवत्) + लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कर्मधारय-समास (‘महानि लिङ्गानि’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

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

• इमानि: these
• इमानि: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• मुक्ति-हेतूनि: causes of liberation
• मुक्ति-हेतूनि: Visheshana (Predicate qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + हेतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी: ‘मुक्तेः हेतवः’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

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

• आनन्द-कानने: in the forest of bliss (Ānandakānana)
• आनन्द-कानने: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आनन्द (प्रातिपदिक) + कानन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी: ‘आनन्दस्य कानने’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Caturdaśa Mahāliṅgāni of Kāśī in Ānandakānana

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: ‘सुंदरी’ (explicit vocative in verse) and the broader audience

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic sacred map of Kāśī’s Ānandakānana showing fourteen shrine points glowing like stars, with a central axis leading toward liberation; a देवी (‘सुंदरी’) listens as the list is affirmed.

Characters & Entities

• Skanda
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Ānandakānana
• Mahāliṅga
• Mukti

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s liberation-power is concretely embodied in specific liṅgas within Ānandakānana.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Ānandakānana, the blissful sacred grove/region within Kāśī, is directly named.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicit directive: approach and worship these fourteen mahāliṅgas as a path to mukti.