Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 47

Devanagari script

महिमानं परं काश्याः कोपि वेद न भूपते । ऋते त्रिनयनाच्छंभोः सर्वज्ञानप्रदायिनः

Transliteration

mahimānaṃ paraṃ kāśyāḥ kopi veda na bhūpate | ṛte trinayanācchaṃbhoḥ sarvajñānapradāyinaḥ

Translation

Ô roi, nul ne connaît vraiment la grandeur suprême de Kāśī, si ce n’est Śambhu, le Seigneur aux Trois Yeux, dispensateur de toute connaissance.

Word by Word

• mahimānam: greatness
• mahimānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahimān (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन

• param: supreme
• param: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; ‘mahimānam’ विशेषण

• kāśyāḥ: of Kāśī
• kāśyāḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kāśī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन

• kaḥ: who
• kaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ka (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; ‘कोऽपि’ रूपेण

• api: even; any
• api: Nipata (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निपात (particle) — ‘even/any’

• veda: knows
• veda: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vid (विद् ज्ञाने)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• na: not
• na: Nishedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation particle)

• bhūpate: O king
• bhūpate: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūpati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8), एकवचन

• ṛte: except
• ṛte: Apavada (Exception/अपवाद)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ṛte (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अपवाद/वर्जनार्थ (excepting)

• trinayanāt: from the three-eyed one
• trinayanāt: Apadana (Source/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tri-nayana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5), एकवचन; समासः = त्रि + नयन (कर्मधारयः) ‘three-eyed’

• śambhoḥ: of Śambhu (Śiva)
• śambhoḥ: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śambhu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; ‘trinayanāt’ विशेष्य-सम्बन्ध (of Śambhu)

• sarvajñāna: all-knowledge
• sarvajñāna: Samasa-purvapada (Compound member/समासपद)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva-jñāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; समासः = सर्व + ज्ञान (तत्पुरुषः) ‘all-knowledge’ (as first member of larger compound)

• pradāyinaḥ: (of him) who bestows omniscience
• pradāyinaḥ: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra-dāyin (प्रातिपदिक; √dā दाने)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6), एकवचन; समासः = सर्वज्ञान-प्रदायिन् (तत्पुरुषः) ‘giver of all-knowledge’; ‘śambhoḥ’ विशेषण

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Bhūpati (King)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A king listens in awe as a sage declares Kāśī’s immeasurable glory; above them, Śiva as Trinetra appears as the sole knower, with a subtle cosmic backdrop suggesting omniscience.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Śambhu
• Trinayana (Śiva)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s sanctity is transcendent; its full mystery is comprehended only by Śiva, the all-knowing Lord.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), presented as possessing an incomparable, Śiva-known greatness.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No specific rite is prescribed; the verse establishes Kāśī’s incomparable mahimā and Śiva’s unique authority over it.