Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 43

Devanagari script

विश्वनाथो ह्यहं नाथः काशिकामुक्तिकाशिका । सुधातरंगा स्वर्गंगा त्रय्येषा किन्न यच्छति

Transliteration

viśvanātho hyahaṃ nāthaḥ kāśikāmuktikāśikā | sudhātaraṃgā svargaṃgā trayyeṣā kinna yacchati

Translation

நானே விஶ்வநாதன், ஆண்டவன்; காசிகா மோட்சம் அளிப்பவள். அமுத அலைகள் கொண்ட இந்த ஸ்வர்ககங்கை—இந்த மும்மூர்த்தி தராதது என்ன?

Word by Word

• विश्वनाथः: Lord of the universe
• विश्वनाथः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्व (प्रातिपदिक) + नाथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (विश्वस्य नाथः)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha/Discourse particle (सम्बन्ध/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), अव्यय; अर्थे—खलु/नूनम् (indeed)

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• नाथः: lord, protector
• नाथः: Predicate nominative (विशेष्य/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नाथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• काशिका-मुक्ति-काशिका: Kāśikā, the bestower of liberation (in Kāśī)
• काशिका-मुक्ति-काशिका: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशिका (प्रातिपदिक) + मुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक) + काशिका (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष-श्रृङ्खला (मुक्तेः काशिका; काशिकायाः/काशिकासम्बन्धिनी)

• सुधा-तरङ्गा: having waves of nectar
• सुधा-तरङ्गा: Predicate adjective (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सुधा (प्रातिपदिक) + तरङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (सुधायाः तरङ्गा)

• स्वर्ग-गङ्गा: the heavenly Gaṅgā
• स्वर्ग-गङ्गा: Predicate nominative (समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः (स्वर्गस्य गङ्गा)

• त्रयी: the Vedic triad (the three Vedas)
• त्रयी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रयी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• एषा: this
• एषा: Visheshana (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक-सर्वनाम

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negation particle)

• यच्छति: gives, grants
• यच्छति: Kriya (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: यम् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; धातुः—यम् (to give/offer)

Speaker

Śiva as Viśvanātha (strongly implied by 'ahaṃ viśvanāthaḥ')

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī–Viśvanātha–Gaṅgā triad

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Devotees/Ṛṣis (contextual audience within Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva as Viśvanātha stands as the inner lord of Kāśī; the Gaṅgā flows with amṛta-like waves; the city itself shines as ‘muktikāśikā’, forming a triadic halo of liberation.

Characters & Entities

• Viśvanātha
• Kāśikā (Kāśī)
• Gaṅgā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva, Kāśī, and Gaṅgā together constitute an unsurpassed salvific refuge, granting both worldly and otherworldly good.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Viśvanātha-kṣetra) and Gaṅgā in Kāśī—presented as a liberation-bestowing sacred complex.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied practice is Gaṅgā association (snāna) and devotion to Viśvanātha in Kāśī, though not stated as a formal injunction.