Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 44

Devanagari script

करिष्येत्कुपितःकालः किंकाशीवासिनां नृणाम् । काले शिवः स्वयं कर्णे यत्र मंत्रोपदेशकः

Transliteration

kariṣyetkupitaḥkālaḥ kiṃkāśīvāsināṃ nṛṇām | kāle śivaḥ svayaṃ karṇe yatra maṃtropadeśakaḥ

Translation

¿Qué puede hacer el Tiempo airado (la muerte) a los hombres que habitan en Kāśī, donde, en el instante final, el propio Śiva es quien otorga al oído la enseñanza del mantra?

Word by Word

• करिष्येत्: could do/should do
• करिष्येत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन

• कुपितः: angered
• कुपितः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कुपित (कृदन्त; कुप् धातु)
• Form: क्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (कालस्य)

• कालः: Time/Death
• कालः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• किम्: what
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक सर्वनाम; क्रियाविशेषणार्थे (what?)

• काशीवासिनाम्: of the residents of Kāśī
• काशीवासिनाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक) + वासिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (काश्यां वासिनः)

• नृणाम्: of men
• नृणाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• काले: at the time (of death)
• काले: Adhikarana (Location/Time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• शिवः: Śiva
• शिवः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• स्वयम्: himself
• स्वयम्: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आत्मनः-प्रयोग (oneself/personally)

• कर्णे: in the ear
• कर्णे: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• यत्र: where
• यत्र: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक अव्यय (relative adverb: where)

• मन्त्रोपदेशकः: the giver of mantra-instruction
• मन्त्रोपदेशकः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मन्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + उपदेशक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मन्त्रस्य उपदेशकः)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: At a deathbed in Kāśī, Time stands enraged yet impotent at the threshold while Śiva leans close to the dying devotee’s ear, whispering the liberating mantra; the room glows with lamp-light and Gaṅgā’s presence is felt nearby.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Śiva
• Kāla (Time/Death)
• Mantra-upadeśa (ear-whispered teaching)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is celebrated as the supreme refuge because Śiva’s direct grace at death overrides the terror of Time and opens the way to liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), especially as the city where Śiva grants final-time mantra-upadeśa (often associated with the tāraka-mantra tradition).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied prescription is residence in Kāśī (kāśīvāsa) and devotion to Śiva/Viśveśvara, trusting His saving mantra-instruction at life’s end.