Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

इमानि यानि लिंगानि सर्वेषां मुक्तिदानि हि । एकैकभुवनस्येह सारमादाय सर्वतः । मयैतानि कृतान्येव महाभक्तिकृपावशात्

Transliteration

imāni yāni liṃgāni sarveṣāṃ muktidāni hi | ekaikabhuvanasyeha sāramādāya sarvataḥ | mayaitāni kṛtānyeva mahābhaktikṛpāvaśāt

Translation

یہ لِنگ سب کے لیے نجات (مُکتی) عطا کرنے والے ہیں۔ ہر سمت سے ہر جہان کا نچوڑ یہاں سمیٹ کر، عظیم بھکتی پر رحم کھا کر، میں نے خود ہی انہیں قائم کیا۔

Word by Word

• imāni: these
• imāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन

• yāni: which
• yāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धबोधक-यत् (relative pronoun)

• liṃgāni: liṅgas
• liṃgāni: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṃga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• sarveṣām: of all
• sarveṣām: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• muktidāni: granting liberation
• muktidāni: Viśeṣaṇa (Adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mukti-dā (प्रातिपदिक; mukti + dā)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (mukteḥ dāni = ‘giving liberation’)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Nipāta (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चय/हेतु-निपात (indeed)

• ekaika-bhuvanasya: of each world
• ekaika-bhuvanasya: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: eka-eka-bhuvana (प्रातिपदिक; eka + eka + bhuvana)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; कर्मधारय (ekaikaṃ bhuvanaṃ)

• iha: here
• iha: Deśa (Place/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of place: here)

• sāram: essence
• sāram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• ādāya: having taken
• ādāya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (Prior action/पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ā-√dā (दा) (कृदन्त; ल्यप्/क्त्वान्त अव्यय)
• Form: क्त्वान्त/ल्यपन्त-अव्यय (absolutive/gerund): ‘having taken’

• sarvataḥ: from everywhere; on all sides
• sarvataḥ: Deśa (Extent/देश)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sarvataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: सर्वतः-इति दिशावाचक-अव्यय (adverb: from all sides/everywhere)

• mayā: by me
• mayā: Karta (Agent-instrument/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• etāni: these
• etāni: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), बहुवचन

• kṛtāni: made; created
• kṛtāni: Predicate adjective (Vidheyaviśeṣaṇa/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √kṛ (कृ) (कृदन्त; क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त भूतकर्मणि (past passive participle)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Avadhāraṇa (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारणार्थक-अव्यय (only/indeed)

• mahābhakti-kṛpā-vaśāt: due to the power of great devotion and compassion
• mahābhakti-kṛpā-vaśāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā-bhakti-kṛpā-vaśa (प्रातिपदिक; mahā + bhakti + kṛpā + vaśa)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (kṛpāyā vaśaḥ; mahābhaktyā saha)

Speaker

Śiva (doctrinal voice within Kāśī Māhātmya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Caturdaśa-liṅga of Avimukta (Śiva-pratiṣṭhita)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pārvatī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva in a cosmic posture draws ‘essences’ from the fourteen worlds/directions as streams of light and installs them into fourteen liṅgas in Kāśī; devotees witness with awe, Devī beside Him.

Characters & Entities

• Liṅga
• Mukti
• Kāśī-kṣetra
• Śiva

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s liṅgas embody a universal spiritual essence and grant liberation through Śiva’s compassionate design.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī-kṣetra (Avimukta), presented as a condensation of the merit of all worlds.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implied: devotion (bhakti) expressed through worship and reverence of these liṅgas as a path to mukti.