Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 27

Devanagari script

मुने प्रलयकालेपि न तत्क्षेत्रं कदाचन । विमुक्तं हि शिवाभ्यां यदविमुक्तं ततो विदुः

Transliteration

mune pralayakālepi na tatkṣetraṃ kadācana | vimuktaṃ hi śivābhyāṃ yadavimuktaṃ tato viduḥ

Translation

أيها الحكيم، حتى في زمن البرالايا لا يُهجَر ذلك الحقل المقدّس قطّ؛ إذ إن شيفا وشيفا (Śiva وŚivā) لا «يتركانه» وراءهما، ولذلك يعرفه الحكماء باسم أفيموكتا (Avimukta): غيرُ المتروك أبدًا.

Word by Word

• मुने: O sage
• मुने: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — masculine, vocative, singular

• प्रलयकाले: at the time of dissolution
• प्रलयकाले: Adhikarana (Location/Time/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रलय-काल (प्रातिपदिक; प्रलय + काल)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7/अधिकरण), एकवचन — masculine, locative, singular

• अपि: even
• अपि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), समुच्चय/अपि-अर्थ — emphatic/inclusive particle

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-निपात (negative particle)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2/कर्म), एकवचन — neuter, accusative, singular; विशेषणम्

• क्षेत्रम्: sacred field/holy place
• क्षेत्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2/कर्म), एकवचन — neuter, accusative, singular

• कदाचन: ever/at any time
• कदाचन: Kala-adhikarana (Time adjunct/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कदाचन (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (adverb of time)

• विमुक्तम्: released/abandoned
• विमुक्तम्: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Object complement/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि+मुच् (धातु) → विमुक्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — past passive participle; predicate adjective

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ — for/indeed

• शिवाभ्याम्: by Shiva (and his consort) / by the two Shivas
• शिवाभ्याम्: Karana (Instrument/Agent-instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3/करण), द्विवचन — masculine, instrumental, dual

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — neuter relative pronoun; correlates with तत्

• अविमुक्तम्: not abandoned; ‘Avimukta’
• अविमुक्तम्: Karma-samānādhikaraṇa (Predicate/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ- + विमुक्त (प्रातिपदिक; वि+मुच् क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — negated past participial adjective

• ततः: therefore/from that
• ततः: Hetu/Apadana (From that/तस्मात्)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: तस्मात्-अर्थे अव्यय (ablatival adverb)

• विदुः: they know/they consider
• विदुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परिपूर्ण/Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन, परस्मैपद — 3rd person plural, perfect

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya (‘muni’, ‘kumbhaja’ in adjacent verses)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Cosmic dissolution imagery—worlds dissolving into waters and fire—yet a luminous Kāśī-kṣetra remains untouched, with Śiva and Śivā steadfastly present, signifying ‘Avimukta’.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Śiva
• Śivā (Pārvatī)
• Avimukta-kṣetra (Kāśī)
• Pralaya

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True refuge is the Lord’s unforsaken realm; Avimukta symbolizes unwavering divine presence and liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Avimukta-kṣetra in Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), famed as indestructible even at pralaya.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it asserts the eternal status of the kṣetra, strengthening the merit of residing or dying there.