Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 82

Devanagari script

अकारं सत्त्वसंपन्नमृक्क्षेत्रं सृष्टिपालकम् । नारायणात्मकं साक्षात्तमः पारे प्रतिष्ठितम्

Transliteration

akāraṃ sattvasaṃpannamṛkkṣetraṃ sṛṣṭipālakam | nārāyaṇātmakaṃ sākṣāttamaḥ pāre pratiṣṭhitam

Translation

He beheld the ‘A’-sound—filled with sattva, the field of the Ṛg Veda, the protector of creation—manifestly of the nature of Nārāyaṇa, established beyond darkness.

Word by Word

• akāram: the syllable ‘a’ (akāra)
• akāram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: akāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• sattvasaṃpannam: endowed with sattva (purity)
• sattvasaṃpannam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sattva (प्रातिपदिक) + saṃpanna (प्रातिपदिक/कृदन्ताधारित)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; तृतीया/षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषार्थे ‘सत्त्वेन/सत्त्वस्य संपन्नम्’ = endowed with sattva

• ṛkṣetram: the field/source of Ṛk (Ṛgveda)
• ṛkṣetram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ṛk (प्रातिपदिक) + kṣetra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ṛcaḥ kṣetram)

• sṛṣṭipālakam: protector of creation
• sṛṣṭipālakam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sṛṣṭi (प्रातिपदिक) + pālaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (sṛṣṭeḥ pālakam)

• nārāyaṇātmakam: having the nature of Nārāyaṇa
• nārāyaṇātmakam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nārāyaṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + ātmaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (nārāyaṇasya ātmakaṃ)

• sākṣāt: directly/in person
• sākṣāt: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sākṣāt (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात/क्रियाविशेषण (directly, manifestly)

• tamaḥ: darkness/tamas
• tamaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tamas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• pāre: on the far shore/beyond
• pāre: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• pratiṣṭhitam: established/placed
• pratiṣṭhitam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pratiṣṭhā (धातु)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘established/standing’

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Before Brahmā appears the luminous ‘A’ as a radiant syllable, suffused with white-gold sattvic light; subtle Ṛgvedic motifs (ṛk leaves, meters) orbit it; beyond it, a veil of darkness is shown as already surpassed.

Characters & Entities

• Nārāyaṇa
• Ṛgveda (Ṛk)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The syllable ‘A’ signifies sattvic sustenance and points to the divine essence (here, Nārāyaṇa) beyond ignorance.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī’s spiritual doctrine is foregrounded—presenting the Praṇava as a liberating revelation within Kāśīkhaṇḍa.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct prescription; the verse is doctrinal, mapping sound (akāra) to Veda and deity.