Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 160

Devanagari script

नैर्कत्यां दिशि तल्लिंगं निरृतेश्वरसंज्ञकम् । पौलस्त्यराघवात्पश्चात्पूजितं सर्वदुष्टहृत्

Transliteration

nairkatyāṃ diśi talliṃgaṃ nirṛteśvarasaṃjñakam | paulastyarāghavātpaścātpūjitaṃ sarvaduṣṭahṛt

Translation

Sa timog-kanlurang dako nakatindig ang Liṅgang iyon na tinatawag na Nirṛteśvara. Nang maglaon, sinamba ito ni Rāghava, inapo ni Pulastya; inaalis nito ang lahat ng kasamaan at masasamang impluwensiya.

Word by Word

• नैर्कत्याम्: in the Nairkatī (region/direction)
• नैर्कत्याम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नैर्कती (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; दिक्-विशेष/प्रदेशवाचक

• दिशि: in the direction
• दिशि: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिश् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन

• तत्: that
• तत्: Visheshana (Determiner/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; निर्देश (that)

• लिङ्गम्: liṅga
• लिङ्गम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• निरृतेश्वर-संज्ञकम्: called Nirṛteśvara
• निरृतेश्वर-संज्ञकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निरृति + ईश्वर + संज्ञक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—निरृतेश्वर इति संज्ञा यस्य (named ‘Nirṛteśvara’)

• पौलस्त्य-राघवात्: by/through Paulastya-Rāghava
• पौलस्त्य-राघवात्: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पौलस्त्य + राघव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (Ablative/5th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—पौलस्त्यः राघवः (Rāghava, descendant of Pulastya)

• पश्चात्: afterwards
• पश्चात्: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पश्चात् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; कालवाचक (afterwards)

• पूजितम्: worshipped
• पूजितम्: Kriya (Result state/क्रियाफल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √पूज् (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘worshipped’

• सर्व-दुष्ट-हृत्: remover of all wickedness
• सर्व-दुष्ट-हृत्: Visheshana (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + दुष्ट + हृत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः—सर्वान् दुष्टान् हरति इति (remover of all evil-doers/evils)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśī Khaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nirṛteśvara

Type: temple

Visual Art Cues

Scene: In the south-west quarter, a shrine of Nirṛteśvara stands with darker, protective ambience; a royal-sage figure identified as Rāghava (Pulastya lineage) offers worship—water, bilva, incense—while shadowy 'duṣṭa' forces dissolve into light.

Characters & Entities

• Nirṛteśvara (Śiva-liṅga)
• Nirṛti (directional association)
• Rāghava (paulastya lineage reference)
• Pulastya
• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s liṅgas are mapped into sacred directions, offering protection and moral purification through worship.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Nirṛteśvara Liṅga in Kāśī, associated with the south-west (nairṛtya) quarter.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pūjā (worship) of Nirṛteśvara, praised as removing all ‘duṣṭa’ (evil).