Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

त्रिलोक्या अपि सर्वस्याः श्रेष्ठा वाराणसी पुरी । ततोपि लिंगमोंकारं ततोप्यत्र त्रिलोचनम्

Transliteration

trilokyā api sarvasyāḥ śreṣṭhā vārāṇasī purī | tatopi liṃgamoṃkāraṃ tatopyatra trilocanam

Translation

ในบรรดาสถานศักดิ์สิทธิ์ทั้งปวงในไตรโลก นครพาราณสีเป็นยอดยิ่งกว่าใคร; ยิ่งกว่านั้นคือโอมการลึงค์ และยิ่งสูงสุด ณ กาศีนี้คือพระศิวะตรีโลจนะ ผู้มีสามเนตร

Word by Word

• त्रिलोक्याः: of the three worlds
• त्रिलोक्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिलोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; समासः—त्रयः लोकाः इति द्विगु-समासः (त्रि+लोक)

• अपि: also, even
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle), ‘also/even’

• सर्वस्याः: of all (of it)
• सर्वस्याः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive/6th), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• श्रेष्ठा: the best
• श्रेष्ठा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (superlative sense)

• वाराणसी: Vārāṇasī
• वाराणसी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाराणसी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; नगरनाम

• पुरी: the city
• पुरी: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; वाराणसी-सम्बन्धे अप्पोज़िशन (apposition)

• ततः: than that, from that
• ततः: Apadana (Ablatival comparison/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्/ततः (ablatival adverb) ‘than that/from that’

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle)

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga, emblem
• लिङ्गम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समासस्य पूर्वपदम् (in compound)

• ओंकारम्: Oṃkāra
• ओंकारम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ओंकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; समासे उत्तरपदम्

• लिङ्ग-ओंकारम्: the Oṃkāra-liṅga
• लिङ्ग-ओंकारम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + ओंकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग (समासस्य समाहार/नपुंसकत्व-प्रवृत्ति), प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—‘ओंकाररूपं लिङ्गम्’

• ततः: than that
• ततः: Apadana (Ablatival comparison/अपादान)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तुलनार्थक-अपादानार्थ (comparative ‘than that’)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• त्रिलोचनम्: Trilocana (the three-eyed one)
• त्रिलोचनम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रिलोचन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहिः—‘त्रीणि लोचनानि यस्य सः’ (epithet of Śiva)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) with Oṃkāra-liṅga and Trilocana

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A panoramic Kāśī riverfront with ghāṭas and temples; in the foreground a radiant Oṃkāra-liṅga shrine, and beyond it the awe-inspiring Trilocana-Śiva, three-eyed, bestowing grace; pilgrims with folded hands move in a graded procession toward the highest sanctum.

Characters & Entities

• Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)
• Oṃkāra-liṅga
• Trilocana (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

It teaches a hierarchy of sanctity: Kāśī is supreme, yet within Kāśī certain Śiva-manifestations (Oṃkāra-liṅga, Trilocana) are praised as even more spiritually potent.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Vārāṇasī (Kāśī), specifically the Oṃkāra-liṅga and the Trilocana (Śiva) sacred site within Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed in this verse; it is primarily a statement of sacred precedence and praise (māhātmya).