Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

एकलिंगं प्रतिष्ठाप्य यत्र संस्थापितं भवेत् । अपि त्रैलोक्यमखिलं तां काशीं कः समुज्झति

Transliteration

ekaliṃgaṃ pratiṣṭhāpya yatra saṃsthāpitaṃ bhavet | api trailokyamakhilaṃ tāṃ kāśīṃ kaḥ samujjhati

Translation

ณ ที่ใดแม้เพียงลึงค์เดียวได้รับการประดิษฐานตามพิธีและตั้งมั่นแล้ว—ใครเล่าจะละทิ้งกาศีได้ แม้แลกด้วยไตรโลกทั้งสิ้น?

Word by Word

• एकलिङ्गम्: a single liṅga
• एकलिङ्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एक + लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (कर्म), एकवचन; समासः—कर्मधारय (एकं लिङ्गम्)

• प्रतिष्ठाप्य: having स्थापित/installed
• प्रतिष्ठाप्य: Kriya (Non-finite verb/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्रति-√स्था (धातु) → प्रतिष्ठाप्य (कृदन्त)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive); धातुः—स्था; उपसर्गः—प्रति; अर्थः—स्थापयित्वा

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; स्थानवाचक-सम्बन्ध (relative adverb: where)

• संस्थापितम्: installed/established
• संस्थापितम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्-√स्था (धातु) → संस्थापित (कृदन्त)
• Form: कृत-प्रत्ययः—क्त (past passive participle); नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘एकलिङ्गम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• भवेत्: would be / may become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधान/अपेक्षा (even/also)

• त्रैलोक्यम्: the three worlds
• त्रैलोक्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: त्रि + लोक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; समासः—द्विगु (त्रयाणां लोकानां समाहारः)

• अखिलम्: entire, whole
• अखिलम्: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अखिल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; ‘त्रैलोक्यम्’ इत्यस्य विशेषणम्

• ताम्: that (her/it)
• ताम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• काशीम्: Kāśī
• काशीम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• कः: who?
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम

• समुज्झति: abandons, gives up
• समुज्झति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-उद्-√हृ (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्; अर्थः—त्यजति/परित्यजति

Speaker

Skanda (deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pilgrim installs a small stone liṅga with ritual vessels and flowers on the ghāṭs of Kāśī; the city’s spires and Gaṅgā shimmer behind, suggesting that even one liṅga makes Kāśī unsurpassable.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Liṅga
• Trailokya (three worlds)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

A single sincere act of establishing Śiva’s liṅga in Kāśī creates such merit and spiritual anchoring that worldly attractions lose their power.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), celebrated as the supreme Śaiva sacred geography.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-pratiṣṭhā—consecrating and establishing a Śiva-liṅga.