Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

अथ संक्षीणपापास्ते कालभैरवदर्शनात् । इहैव देहिनो भूत्वा मुच्यंते ते ममाज्ञया

Transliteration

atha saṃkṣīṇapāpāste kālabhairavadarśanāt | ihaiva dehino bhūtvā mucyaṃte te mamājñayā

Translation

Then, their sins being exhausted through the vision of Kālabhairava, they become embodied here itself and are released—by my command.

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse marker/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (then/now)

• संक्षीण-पापाः: whose sins are exhausted
• संक्षीण-पापाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संक्षीण (कृदन्त; √क्षि ‘to decay’ with सम्) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (संक्षीणानि पापानि येषाम्/संक्षीणपापाः)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• काल-भैरव-दर्शनात्: from (the) sight of Kālabhairava
• काल-भैरव-दर्शनात्: Apadana (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक) + भैरव (प्रातिपदिक) + दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (कालभैरवस्य दर्शनम्)

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (here)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (indeed/only)

• देहिनः: embodied beings
• देहिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; देहयुक्ताः (embodied beings)

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Kriya (Gerundial/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), ‘having become’

• मुच्यन्ते: are released
• मुच्यन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम (पुनरुक्ति-बल)

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• आज्ञया: by (my) command
• आज्ञया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आज्ञा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration, typically to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kālabhairava (Kāśī-kṣetrapāla)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Interlocutor within Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative frame (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kālabhairava’s fierce yet protective presence: garlanded, with dog-vāhana, trident and drum; before him, formerly tormented beings regain embodied form and are released, the nooses loosening and faces turning serene.

Characters & Entities

• Kālabhairava
• Kāśī (implied)
• Avimukta (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Darśana of Kālabhairava is portrayed as a powerful purifier; grace and divine ordinance complete the path to release.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī/Avimukta, specifically through Kālabhairava’s salvific presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied practice is Kālabhairava-darśana (seeking the deity’s vision) as a purificatory act.