Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

मोक्षद्वारेश्वरं चैव स्वर्गद्वोरेश्वरं तथा । उभौ काश्यां नरो दृष्ट्वा स्वर्गं मोक्षं च विंदति

Transliteration

mokṣadvāreśvaraṃ caiva svargadvoreśvaraṃ tathā | ubhau kāśyāṃ naro dṛṣṭvā svargaṃ mokṣaṃ ca viṃdati

Translation

และเมื่อได้ไปเฝ้าดูโมกษทวาเรศวร ตลอดจนสวรรค์ทวาเรศวร ทั้งสอง ณ กาศีแล้ว บุคคลย่อมบรรลุทั้งสวรรค์และโมกษะ

Word by Word

• मोक्षद्वारेश्वरम्: Mokṣadvāreśvara (Lord of the gate to liberation)
• मोक्षद्वारेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक) + द्वार (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (मोक्षस्य द्वारम्; तस्य ईश्वरः); पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात (conjunction: and)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-निपात (emphatic particle: indeed/just)

• स्वर्गद्वारेश्वरम्: Svargadvāreśvara (Lord of the gate to heaven)
• स्वर्गद्वारेश्वरम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक) + द्वार (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (स्वर्गस्य द्वारम्; तस्य ईश्वरः); पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; पाठे ‘स्वर्गद्वोरेश्वरम्’ = स्वर्गद्वारेश्वरम्

• तथा: likewise
• तथा: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रकारार्थक-अव्यय (adverb: likewise/also)

• उभौ: both (of them)
• उभौ: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उभ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), द्विवचन

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

• नरः: a man
• नरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• दृष्ट्वा: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दृश् (धातु) → दृष्ट्वा (क्त्वा-प्रत्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त-अव्यय (absolutive): having seen

• स्वर्गम्: heaven
• स्वर्गम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्वर्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• मोक्षम्: liberation
• मोक्षम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-निपात

• विन्दति: attains/finds
• विन्दति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद; प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Mokṣadvāreśvara & Svargadvoreśvara (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Two shrine-doorways in Kāśī: one marked ‘Mokṣa-dvāra’ and another ‘Svarga-dvāra’; a pilgrim completes darśana at both, carrying a lamp and flowers; the city’s alleys open toward the Ganga, suggesting passage beyond worlds.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Mokṣadvāreśvara
• Svargadvoreśvara
• Svarga
• Mokṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is portrayed as uniquely capable of granting both worldly merit (svarga) and ultimate release (mokṣa) through darśana of key Śiva forms.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Mokṣadvāreśvara and Svargadvoreśvara in Kāśī.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Darśana—visiting and seeing both Mokṣadvāreśvara and Svargadvoreśvara.