Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 89

Devanagari script

न सम्यग्वेत्ति तं कश्चिज्जानानोपि प्रतारितः । एतत्सम्यक्त्वयाख्यायि कस्तं वेत्ति सदाशिवम्

Transliteration

na samyagvetti taṃ kaścijjānānopi pratāritaḥ | etatsamyaktvayākhyāyi kastaṃ vetti sadāśivam

Translation

Niemand erkennt Ihn wahrhaft; selbst wer Wissen beansprucht, wird getäuscht. Dies hast Du recht verkündet—wer vermag Sadāśiva zu erkennen?

Word by Word

• na: not
• na: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (निषेध/negation)

• samyak: properly
• samyak: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samyak (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb)

• vetti: knows
• vetti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vid (विद्)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• kaścit: anyone
• kaścit: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaścid (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; अनिश्चित (‘कश्चित्’)

• jānānaḥ: even while knowing (thinking he knows)
• jānānaḥ: Karta (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: jñā (ज्ञा)
• Form: वर्तमानकृदन्त (शतृ/Present active participle) — पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘जानानः’

• api: even
• api: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (अपि = even/also)

• pratāritaḥ: deceived
• pratāritaḥ: Karta (Predicate adjective/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prati-√tṝ (तॄ/तारयति)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त/Past passive participle) — पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘प्रतारितः’ (deceived)

• etat: this
• etat: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: etad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• samyak: properly
• samyak: Prakara (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: samyak (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण/adverb)

• tvayā: by you
• tvayā: Karana (Agent-instrumental/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tvad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: मध्यमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• ākhyāyi: you related/told
• ākhyāyi: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā-√khyā (ख्या)
• Form: लुङ् (aorist), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद; ‘आख्यायि’ = ‘आख्याः/आख्यासीः’ (you told) — पुराणपाठभेद-रूप

• kaḥ: who
• kaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• tam: him
• tam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन

• vetti: knows
• vetti: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vid (विद्)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• sadā-śivam: Sadāśiva
• sadā-śivam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sadā (अव्यय) + śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (‘सदा शिवः’ = ever-auspicious)

Speaker

Satī

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Kāśīkhaṇḍa interlocutor (not explicit here)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contemplative tableau: Satī (or the narrator’s voice) points to the mystery of Sadāśiva—suggesting a luminous, formless presence beyond depiction, with Śiva serene and vast.

Characters & Entities

• Sadāśiva
• Satī
• Śiva (as topic)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sadāśiva is ultimately beyond conceptual grasp; devotion and humility are the proper approach to divine reality.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Kāśīkhaṇḍa framework glorifies Kāśī as Śiva’s supreme abode, though this verse is primarily theological.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a doctrinal affirmation about the nature of Sadāśiva.