Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 29

Devanagari script

इदं रहस्यं क्षेत्रस्य वेद कोपि न कुंभज । नास्तिकाय न वक्तव्यं कदाचिच्चर्मचक्षुषे

Transliteration

idaṃ rahasyaṃ kṣetrasya veda kopi na kuṃbhaja | nāstikāya na vaktavyaṃ kadāciccarmacakṣuṣe

Translation

يا كُمْبَجَا (المولود من الجرّة)، قلّ من يعرف سرّ هذا الكشيترا. لا ينبغي أن يُقال قطّ لملحدٍ (nāstika)، ولا لمن لا يرى إلا بـ«عين الجلد»؛ أي بالنظر الظاهري وحده.

Word by Word

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

• रहस्यम्: secret
• रहस्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: रहस्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2/कर्म), एकवचन — neuter, accusative, singular

• क्षेत्रस्य: of the sacred field
• क्षेत्रस्य: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6/सम्बन्ध), एकवचन — neuter, genitive, singular

• वेद: knows
• वेद: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (वर्तमान/Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद — 3rd person singular, present

• कः: who
• कः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1/कर्ता), एकवचन — masculine, nominative, singular

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

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

• कुम्भज: O Kumbhaja (Agastya)
• कुम्भज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुम्भज (प्रातिपदिक; कुम्भ + ज)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8/सम्बोधन), एकवचन — masculine, vocative, singular

• नास्तिकाय: to an atheist
• नास्तिकाय: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नास्तिक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन — masculine, dative, singular

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

• वक्तव्यम्: should be told
• वक्तव्यम्: Kriya (Obligation/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु) → वक्तव्य (कृदन्त)
• Form: तव्यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (gerundive/obligative), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन — ‘should be spoken’ (impersonal obligation)

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

• चर्मचक्षुषे: to one with ‘skin-eyes’ (gross/outer vision)
• चर्मचक्षुषे: Sampradana (Recipient/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चर्म-चक्षुस् (प्रातिपदिक; चर्म + चक्षुस्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी (4/सम्प्रदान), एकवचन — neuter, dative, singular

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Agastya (explicit: kumbhaja)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A guru figure (Skanda) instructs the pot-born sage (Agastya) in a secluded setting; a veil or closed manuscript symbolizes ‘rahasya’; shadowy figures representing nāstika and ‘skin-eyed’ stand outside the circle of teaching.

Characters & Entities

• Agastya
• Avimukta-kṣetra (Kāśī)
• Nāstika (denier)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred knowledge requires inner receptivity; without faith and depth, the kṣetra-rahasya is misunderstood or misused.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Avimukta-kṣetra in Kāśī, whose ‘secret’ greatness is guarded by qualification.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A teaching-dharma prescription: do not disclose the rahasya to nāstikas or superficial listeners.