Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 97

Devanagari script

यदि मे शंकरे भक्तिर्निर्द्वंद्वातीव निश्चला । तदा स देवदेवो मां वियुनक्तु महाऽधिया

Transliteration

yadi me śaṃkare bhaktirnirdvaṃdvātīva niścalā | tadā sa devadevo māṃ viyunaktu mahā'dhiyā

Translation

Si ma dévotion à Śaṅkara est vraiment inébranlable, sans dualité ni trouble intérieur, que ce Dieu des dieux, dans sa grande sagesse, me mène au juste discernement et à la voie.

Word by Word

• यदि: if
• यदि: Connector (Condition)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदि (अव्यय)
• Form: शर्त-सम्बन्धी अव्यय (conditional conjunction)

• मे: my
• मे: Sambandha (Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी, एकवचन; अत्र षष्ठी (possessive)

• शङ्करे: in Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• शङ्करे: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शङ्कर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; विषय/आश्रय-अधिकरणे (in Śaṅkara)

• भक्तिः: devotion
• भक्तिः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• निर्द्वन्द्वा: free from doubts/dualities
• निर्द्वन्द्वा: Karta (Subject-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्द्वन्द्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (भक्तेः) ‘free from dualities’

• अतीव: very, exceedingly
• अतीव: Adverbial (Degree)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अतीव (अव्यय)
• Form: परिमाण/तीव्रतावाचक अव्यय (intensifier)

• निश्चला: steadfast
• निश्चला: Karta (Subject-qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निश्चल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषणम् (भक्तेः) ‘unmoving/steadfast’

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adverbial (Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक अव्यय (then)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• देवदेवः: God of gods
• देवदेवः: Karta (Subject-apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—देवानां देवः

• माम्: me
• माम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: द्वितीया, एकवचन

• वियुनक्तु: may he free/separate (me)
• वियुनक्तु: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-युज् (धातु)
• Form: लोट् (आज्ञार्थ/benedictive imperative), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; ‘let him separate/free’

• महाधिया: with great intelligence
• महाधिया: Karana (Instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महा (प्रातिपदिक) + धि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—महती धिः; करणार्थे ‘with great wisdom’

Speaker

Garuḍa (within Skanda’s narration)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis (frame assumed)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Garuḍa, hands/wing-ends joined in reverence, turns inward and prays to Śaṅkara; above, Śiva’s presence is suggested as a calm, luminous consciousness granting insight amid the dangerous spinning defense.

Characters & Entities

• Śaṅkara (Śiva)
• Devadeva (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady bhakti to Śiva becomes a source of guidance; devotion is not only emotion but also clarity-bestowing grace.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the overarching sacred setting (Śiva’s city) in the Kāśī Khaṇḍa, though this verse is a prayer rather than a site-description.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, unwavering devotion (bhakti) to Śaṅkara; no explicit vrata or rite is specified.