Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 10

Devanagari script

द्रष्टृत्वादि विहीनं च शब्दस्पर्शसमुज्झितम् । व्यपेतगंधरूपं च रसत्यक्तमदिङ्मुखम्

Transliteration

draṣṭṛtvādi vihīnaṃ ca śabdasparśasamujjhitam | vyapetagaṃdharūpaṃ ca rasatyaktamadiṅmukham

Translation

C’était dépourvu même de l’état de « voyant » et autres ; privé de son et de toucher ; l’odeur et la forme s’en étaient retirées ; le goût était abandonné — sans direction ni orientation.

Word by Word

• द्रष्टृत्वादि: from the state of being a perceiver etc.
• द्रष्टृत्वादि: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रष्टृत्व-आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/अपादान), एकवचन; 'from seer-hood etc.' (आदि-शब्देन अन्यगुणसमुच्चयः)

• विहीनम्: devoid
• विहीनम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वि-ही (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकर्मणि कृदन्तः (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; 'devoid (of)'

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय)

• शब्दस्पर्शसमुज्झितम्: bereft of sound and touch
• शब्दस्पर्शसमुज्झितम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शब्द-स्पर्श-समुज्झित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: शब्दं च स्पर्शं च समुज्झितम् (completely abandoned sound and touch)

• व्यपेतगन्धरूपम्: without smell and form
• व्यपेतगन्धरूपम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: व्यपेत-गन्ध-रूप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: व्यपेतौ गन्धरूपौ यस्मात्/यत्र (gone are smell and form); 'without smell and form'

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय (समुच्चय)

• रसत्यक्तम्: devoid of taste
• रसत्यक्तम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: रस-त्यक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुषः: रसः त्यक्तः (taste abandoned)

• अदिङ्मुखम्: without directions/orientation
• अदिङ्मुखम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ-दिक्-मुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; नञ्-तत्पुरुषः: दिङ्मुखाभावः (without directions/faces i.e., orientation)

Speaker

Skanda

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Audience/sage

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An abstract depiction of sense-withdrawal at cosmic scale: no ears, skin, nose, eyes, tongue—no directions; forms and fragrances evaporate into emptiness; the scene feels like a dissolving mandala of the senses.

Characters & Entities

• Śabda
• Sparśa
• Rūpa
• Rasa
• Gandha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

All sensory categories and even the sense of a perceiver dissolve—suggesting that ultimate reality (and the highest tīrtha teaching) lies beyond the senses.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

None directly; it supports the cosmic preface to the Avimukta/Kāśī account.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None.