Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 91

Devanagari script

प्रणूयते यतः सर्वैः परनिर्वाणकामुकैः । सर्वेभ्योभ्यधिकस्तस्मात्प्रणवो यैः प्रकीर्तितः

Transliteration

praṇūyate yataḥ sarvaiḥ paranirvāṇakāmukaiḥ | sarvebhyobhyadhikastasmātpraṇavo yaiḥ prakīrtitaḥ

Translation

Weil sie von allen erklingt, die nach dem höchsten Nirvāṇa verlangen, wird jene Silbe als „Praṇava“ gepriesen, allen (Lauten) überlegen.

Word by Word

• praṇūyate: is uttered/chanted
• praṇūyate: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + nū (नू धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि/भावे प्रयोगः—'उच्चार्यते/नूयते'

• yataḥ: because/from which
• yataḥ: Sambandha (Causal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatas (अव्यय/सम्बन्ध)
• Form: अव्यय, हेत्वर्थे (causal adverb) 'because/from which'

• sarvaiḥ: by all
• sarvaiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; 'by all'

• para-nirvāṇa-kāmukaiḥ: by those desiring supreme nirvāṇa
• para-nirvāṇa-kāmukaiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: para + nirvāṇa + kāmuka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुषः—'परं निर्वाणं कामयन्ति ये'

• sarvebhyaḥ: than all
• sarvebhyaḥ: Apadana (Standard of comparison/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th), बहुवचन; 'than all' (comparative base)

• abhyadhikaḥ: superior/exceeding
• abhyadhikaḥ: Karta (Predicate nominal/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: abhi + adhika (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; उपसर्गपूर्वक-विशेषण 'अत्यधिकः'

• tasmāt: therefore
• tasmāt: Sambandha (Causal/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तस्मात्—पञ्चमी-एकवचन-रूपेण अव्ययीभूतं; हेत्वर्थे 'therefore/from that'

• praṇavaḥ: Praṇava (Oṃ)
• praṇavaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: praṇava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन

• yaiḥ: by whom
• yaiḥ: Karta (Agent/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd), बहुवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक

• prakīrtitaḥ: is proclaimed/celebrated
• prakīrtitaḥ: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: pra + kīrt (कीर्त् धातु)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; कर्मणि—'प्रशंसितः/प्रकीर्तितः'

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrims/ṛṣis seeking the secret of liberation in Kāśī

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A gathering of diverse seekers—ascetics, householders, pilgrims—each with folded hands, collectively intoning ‘Oṃ’; the syllable rises as a luminous column above Kāśī’s ghāṭs, symbolizing its superiority and universality for nirvāṇa-seekers.

Characters & Entities

• Praṇava (Oṃ)
• Nirvāṇa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Praṇava (Oṃ) is upheld as the supreme utterance for those seeking final liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is situated in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, where Kāśī is famed for liberation through sacred sound and realization.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Chanting/intoning (praṇūyana) of Praṇava by liberation-seekers.