Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 120

Devanagari script

काश्यां लिंगप्रतिष्ठायैः कृताऽत्र सुकृतात्मभिः । सर्वे धर्माः कृतास्तैस्तु त एव पुरुषार्थिनः

Transliteration

kāśyāṃ liṃgapratiṣṭhāyaiḥ kṛtā'tra sukṛtātmabhiḥ | sarve dharmāḥ kṛtāstaistu ta eva puruṣārthinaḥ

Translation

کاشی میں لِنگ کی پرتیِشٹھا کر کے—جو یہاں نیکی سے بھرپور روحوں نے کی—ان کے لیے گویا سبھی دھرم ادا ہو گئے؛ انسانی مقاصدِ حیات کو حقیقتاً وہی پاتے ہیں۔

Word by Word

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

• लिङ्ग-प्रतिष्ठायैः: by (means of) establishing the liṅga
• लिङ्ग-प्रतिष्ठायैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: लिङ्ग-प्रतिष्ठा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; instrumental plural; समासः—तत्पुरुष (लिङ्गस्य प्रतिष्ठा)

• कृताः: were done/accomplished
• कृताः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृत (कृदन्त, √कृ धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; PPP used predicatively with implied 'सन्ति'

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

• सुकृतात्मभिः: by the virtuous (those of meritorious nature)
• सुकृतात्मभिः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुकृत-आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; instrumental plural; समासः—बहुव्रीहि (सुकृतः आत्मा येषाम्)

• सर्वे: all
• सर्वे: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; nominative plural

• धर्माः: duties/merits (dharmas)
• धर्माः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धर्म (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; nominative plural

• कृताः: were performed
• कृताः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृत (कृदन्त, √कृ धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; PPP predicative

• तैः: by them
• तैः: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (करण), बहुवचन; pronoun instrumental plural

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (contrastive particle)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; pronoun nominative plural

• एव: indeed/alone
• एव: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphasis)

• पुरुषार्थिनः: seekers of the goals of life
• पुरुषार्थिनः: Karta (Predicate nominative/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष-अर्थिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; nominative plural; समासः—तत्पुरुष (पुरुषार्थं अर्थयते/इच्छति)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa teaching)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (liṅga-pratiṣṭhā-māhātmya)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A consecration scene in Kāśī: priests perform abhiṣeka over a newly installed liṅga, with devotees offering flowers; the city’s ghāṭs and temple spires glow; a subtle visual motif of the four puruṣārthas (dharma-artha-kāma-mokṣa) encircles the liṅga as symbolic emblems.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
• Liṅga (Śiva-liṅga)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī magnifies dharma: establishing a Śiva-liṅga there is treated as a comprehensive fulfillment of dharmic merit and life’s aims.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), celebrated as a supreme field of merit where sacred acts yield amplified fruit.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Liṅga-pratiṣṭhā (ritual installation/establishment of a Śiva-liṅga) in Kāśī.