Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 125

Devanagari script

चतुर्दशानां लिंगानां श्रुत्वाख्यानानि सत्तमः । चतुर्दश सुलोकेषु पूजां प्राप्स्यत्यनुत्तमाम्

Transliteration

caturdaśānāṃ liṃgānāṃ śrutvākhyānāni sattamaḥ | caturdaśa sulokeṣu pūjāṃ prāpsyatyanuttamām

Translation

பதினான்கு லிங்கங்களின் புனித வரலாறுகளைச் செவிமடுத்த சிறந்த மனிதன், பதினான்கு நல்வுலகங்களில் ஒப்பற்ற மரியாதையும் பூஜையும் பெறுவான்.

Word by Word

• caturdaśānām: of fourteen
• caturdaśānām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caturdaśa (चतुर्दश संख्याशब्द-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), बहुवचन; द्विगु-समासः—चत्वारः च दश च (fourteen)

• liṅgānām: of liṅgas
• liṅgānām: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (लिङ्ग प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

• śrutvā: having heard
• śrutvā: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: √śru (श्रु धातु) + त्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (gerund/absolutive): having heard

• ākhyānāni: accounts / narrations
• ākhyānāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ākhyāna (आख्यान प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन

• sattamaḥ: the best of the virtuous
• sattamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sat-tama (सत्तम प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—सतां तमः/श्रेष्ठः (best among the good)

• caturdaśa: fourteen
• caturdaśa: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: caturdaśa (चतुर्दश संख्याशब्द)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्याशब्दः; अत्र विशेषणरूपेण (numeral: fourteen)

• su-lokeṣu: in good worlds
• su-lokeṣu: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: su (सु उपसर्ग/प्रातिपदिक) + loka (लोक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative), बहुवचन; समासः—सुन्दराः लोकाः (good worlds)

• pūjām: worship / honor
• pūjām: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pūjā (पूजा प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन

• prāpsyati: will obtain
• prāpsyati: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra-√āp (आप् धातु)
• Form: लृट्-लकार (Simple Future), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• anuttamām: unsurpassed / supreme
• anuttamām: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: an-uttama (अनुत्तम प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (qualifying pūjām)

Speaker

Śiva (deduced; concluding merit statement within the chapter’s liṅga-māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Fourteen Kāśī-liṅgas (collective)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devotee/audience (implied)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage narrates the accounts of fourteen liṅgas; listeners sit in reverent assembly; above them, symbolic fourteen luminous worlds/planes receiving the devotee’s honor—visualizing ‘pūjā in fourteen su-lokas’.

Characters & Entities

• Fourteen Liṅgas (Caturdaśa-liṅga)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śravaṇa (devotional hearing) of sacred Śaiva narratives is itself a potent path, yielding exalted spiritual honor.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī’s liṅga landscape is implied—multiple liṅgas whose stories constitute the chapter’s sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Hearing (śravaṇa) the accounts of the fourteen liṅgas; it functions as a devotional observance with stated merit.