Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

यावद्बद्धो मरुद्देहे यावच्चेतो निराश्रयम् । यावद्दृष्टिर्भुवोर्मध्ये तावत्कालभयं कुतः

Transliteration

yāvadbaddho maruddehe yāvacceto nirāśrayam | yāvaddṛṣṭirbhuvormadhye tāvatkālabhayaṃ kutaḥ

Translation

Tant que le souffle est lié dans le corps, tant que l’esprit demeure sans appui extérieur, et tant que le regard est fixé entre les sourcils, d’où pourrait naître la crainte du Temps (la mort) ?

Word by Word

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Temporal marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधि-वाचक-अव्यय (as long as)

• बद्धः: bound/controlled
• बद्धः: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बन्ध् (धातु) → बद्ध (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त, पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; (मरुत्) विशेषणम्

• मरुत्: wind/breath
• मरुत्: Karta (Subject—implied)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरुत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• देहे: in the body
• देहे: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Temporal marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधि-वाचक-अव्यय (as long as)

• चेतः: mind
• चेतः: Karta (Subject—implied)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चेतस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• निराश्रयम्: without support
• निराश्रयम्: Visheshana (Qualifier of cetaḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर् (उपसर्ग) + आश्रय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; (चेतः) विशेषणम्; ‘without support’

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Temporal marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधि-वाचक-अव्यय (as long as)

• दृष्टिः: gaze/vision
• दृष्टिः: Karta (Subject—implied)
• Type: Noun
• Root: दृष्टि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• भुवोः: of the two worlds/earths
• भुवोः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भू (प्रातिपदिक; ‘earth’)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), द्विवचन; ‘of the two earths’ (i.e., of earth and heaven / two worlds)

• मध्ये: in the middle
• मध्ये: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मध्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• तावत्: so long
• तावत्: Correlative marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/अवधि-वाचक-अव्यय (so long)

• कालभयम्: fear of time/death
• कालभयम्: Karta (Subject—of implied ‘asti’)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक) + भय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कालस्य भयम्)

• कुतः: from where?/how?
• कुतः: Interrogative (rhetorical)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कुतः (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नार्थक-अव्यय (whence/how)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A yogin in deep concentration, eyes gently turned to the brow-center, breath held subtly; behind him a personified Kāla fades into shadow, unable to approach.

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

When prāṇa is steadied, the mind becomes unsupported by distractions and fear of death (kāla) diminishes.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī-centered teaching tradition, where liberation from death-fear is a hallmark theme.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Hold the breath, withdraw the mind from supports (objects), and fix the gaze at the space between the eyebrows (bhrūmadhya).