Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 85

Devanagari script

अथ संक्षीणपापास्ते कालभैरवदर्शनात् । इहैव देहिनो भूत्वा मुच्यंते ते ममाज्ञया

Transliteration

atha saṃkṣīṇapāpāste kālabhairavadarśanāt | ihaiva dehino bhūtvā mucyaṃte te mamājñayā

Translation

Puis, leurs péchés s’étant épuisés par la vision de Kālabhairava, ils prennent corps ici même et sont délivrés, par mon ordre.

Word by Word

• अथ: then
• अथ: Sambandha (Discourse marker/अव्यय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अथ (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अनुक्रम/आरम्भसूचक (then/now)

• संक्षीण-पापाः: whose sins are exhausted
• संक्षीण-पापाः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: संक्षीण (कृदन्त; √क्षि ‘to decay’ with सम्) + पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारयः (संक्षीणानि पापानि येषाम्/संक्षीणपापाः)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• काल-भैरव-दर्शनात्: from (the) sight of Kālabhairava
• काल-भैरव-दर्शनात्: Apadana (Cause/Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक) + भैरव (प्रातिपदिक) + दर्शन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी-विभक्ति (अपादान), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (कालभैरवस्य दर्शनम्)

• इह: here
• इह: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इह (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (here)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण (indeed/only)

• देहिनः: embodied beings
• देहिनः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; देहयुक्ताः (embodied beings)

• भूत्वा: having become
• भूत्वा: Kriya (Gerundial/पूर्वक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त (absolutive/gerund), ‘having become’

• मुच्यन्ते: are released
• मुच्यन्ते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: मुच् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोग (passive)

• ते: they
• ते: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; सर्वनाम (पुनरुक्ति-बल)

• मम: my
• मम: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• आज्ञया: by (my) command
• आज्ञया: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आज्ञा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (करण), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration, typically to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kālabhairava (Kāśī-kṣetrapāla)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Interlocutor within Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative frame (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Kālabhairava’s fierce yet protective presence: garlanded, with dog-vāhana, trident and drum; before him, formerly tormented beings regain embodied form and are released, the nooses loosening and faces turning serene.

Characters & Entities

• Kālabhairava
• Kāśī (implied)
• Avimukta (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Darśana of Kālabhairava is portrayed as a powerful purifier; grace and divine ordinance complete the path to release.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī/Avimukta, specifically through Kālabhairava’s salvific presence.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied practice is Kālabhairava-darśana (seeking the deity’s vision) as a purificatory act.