Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 36

Devanagari script

शब्दातीनं निर्गुणं निर्विकारं सत्तामात्रं ज्ञानगम्यं त्वगम्यम् । यत्तद्वस्तु सर्वदा कथ्यते वै वेदातीतैश्चागमैर्मन्त्रभूतैः

Transliteration

śabdātīnaṃ nirguṇaṃ nirvikāraṃ sattāmātraṃ jñānagamyaṃ tvagamyam | yattadvastu sarvadā kathyate vai vedātītaiścāgamairmantrabhūtaiḥ

Translation

Jenseits der Worte, eigenschaftslos und unveränderlich — reines Sein; nur durch wahres Wissen erreichbar, doch mit gewöhnlichen Mitteln nicht zu fassen. Diese Wirklichkeit wird immerdar von den transzendenten Offenbarungen und den Āgamas verkündet, die ihrem Wesen nach Mantra sind.

Word by Word

• शब्दातीनम्: beyond words
• शब्दातीनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शब्द + अतीत (प्रातिपदिक); शब्दातीन (समस्तपद)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; पञ्चमी-तत्पुरुष (beyond words)

• निर्गुणम्: without qualities
• निर्गुणम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्गुण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• निर्विकारम्: unchanging
• निर्विकारम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्विकार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण

• सत्तामात्रम्: mere being/existence
• सत्तामात्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सत्ता + मात्र (प्रातिपदिक); सत्तामात्र (समस्तपद)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष (mere existence)

• ज्ञानगम्यम्: knowable by knowledge
• ज्ञानगम्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ज्ञान + गम्य (प्रातिपदिक); ज्ञानगम्य (समस्तपद)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; तृतीया/करण-तत्पुरुषार्थ (knowable through knowledge)

• तु: but/indeed
• तु: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: विरोध/विशेषणार्थक-अव्यय (adversative particle)

• अगम्यम्: unattainable/inaccessible
• अगम्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अगम्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषण (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• यत्: which/that which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; निर्देशक (demonstrative)

• वस्तु: reality/thing
• वस्तु: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वस्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन (Neuter, Nom/Acc, Singular)

• सर्वदा: always
• सर्वदा: Kala (Time/काल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सर्वदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb)

• कथ्यते: is said/declared
• कथ्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कथ् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (वर्तमान), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (Present indicative, 3rd person singular, ātmanepada; passive)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निश्चयार्थक-अव्यय/पादपूरण (emphatic particle)

• वेदातीतैः: by those beyond the Vedas
• वेदातीतैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वेद + अतीत (प्रातिपदिक); वेदातीत (समस्तपद)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; पञ्चमी-तत्पुरुष (by those beyond the Vedas)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• आगमैः: by the scriptures/traditions (āgamas)
• आगमैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आगम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन (Masculine, Instrumental, Plural)

• मन्त्रभूतैः: in the form of mantras
• मन्त्रभूतैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: मन्त्र + भूत (प्रातिपदिक); मन्त्रभूत (समस्तपद)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुषार्थ (being in the form of mantras)

Speaker

Lomaharṣaṇa (Sūta/Lomaśa tradition) addressing the sages (deduced)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kedāra/Kedāranātha

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous, formless presence above Kedāranātha, with Vedic seers and Āgamic siddhas holding palm-leaf texts and rosaries; sound-waves dissolve into silence, indicating ‘śabdātīta’.

Characters & Entities

• Veda
• Āgama
• Mantra

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva is beyond language and attributes; realization comes through higher knowledge, while scripture (Veda/Āgama) points toward that ineffable truth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse is embedded in Kedārakhaṇḍa, where Kedāra’s sanctity supports the Śaiva vision of mantra and transcendence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite is commanded, but the verse implicitly elevates mantra-based Āgamic approach and jñāna as the means.