Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

दृश्यं विनश्वरं सर्वं विशेषाद्यदनीश्वरम् । ततोऽत्र चित्रं किं ब्रह्मन्कंकालः कालयेन्न वै

Transliteration

dṛśyaṃ vinaśvaraṃ sarvaṃ viśeṣādyadanīśvaram | tato'tra citraṃ kiṃ brahmankaṃkālaḥ kālayenna vai

Translation

Alles Sichtbare ist vergänglich, erst recht, was nicht souverän ist. Was ist daran verwunderlich, o Brahmane, dass ein Gerippe von der Zeit zerstört wird?

Word by Word

• दृश्यम्: visible
• दृश्यम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृश्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (that which is seen)

• विनश्वरम्: perishable
• विनश्वरम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विनश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• सर्वम्: all
• सर्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• विशेषात्: especially
• विशेषात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; ‘especially’ (ablative of specification)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• अनीश्वरम्: not independent; powerless
• अनीश्वरम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनीश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• ततः: therefore
• ततः: Sambandha (Discourse link/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्-अर्थे (therefore/from that)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• चित्रम्: wonder; strange thing
• चित्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘wonder’

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• ब्रह्मन्: O Brahmin (sage)
• ब्रह्मन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• कंकालः: skeleton
• कंकालः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कंकाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• कालयेत्: should destroy; should bring to an end
• कालयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कल्/काल् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; causative sense ‘to destroy/bring to end’

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

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात; निश्चय/प्रत्यय (indeed)

Speaker

Śambhu (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brahman interlocutor addressed as ‘brahman’ (and assembled sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pointed rhetorical teaching: the perishable seen-world contrasted with Īśvara; imagery of a skull/skeleton and the inexorable flow of time, with Kāśī’s ghats as silent witness.

Characters & Entities

• Śambhu (Śiva)
• Brahman (addressed sage, likely Nārada)
• Kāla (Time)
• Kaṅkāla (skeleton)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Since all visible things are subject to decay, wise people do not marvel at loss; they cultivate detachment and seek the imperishable.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named; as part of Kāśī Khaṇḍa, it reinforces Kāśī’s liberative teaching: the seen world falls, the Lord remains.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is a reasoning-based instruction on impermanence.