Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

अमूर्तं यत्पराख्यं वै तस्य मूर्तिरहं प्रिये । अर्वाचीनपराचीना ईश्वरं मां जगुर्बुधाः

Transliteration

amūrtaṃ yatparākhyaṃ vai tasya mūrtirahaṃ priye | arvācīnaparācīnā īśvaraṃ māṃ jagurbudhāḥ

Translation

‘Wahai kekasih, dari Kenyataan tanpa wujud yang dikenal sebagai “Yang Mahatinggi”, akulah perwujudannya. Sebagai yang dekat dan yang jauh, para bijak memuji aku sebagai Īśvara.’

Word by Word

• अमूर्तम्: formless
• अमूर्तम्: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अमूर्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• यत्: which
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative pronoun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• पराख्यम्: called 'Parā'
• पराख्यम्: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पराख्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; विशेषण

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• तस्य: of that
• तस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसकलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• मूर्तिः: the form
• मूर्तिः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मूर्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/apposition)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• प्रिये: O dear one
• प्रिये: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रिय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, सम्बोधन-विभक्ति (Vocative), एकवचन

• अर्वाचीनपराचीना: both near and far
• अर्वाचीनपराचीना: Visheshana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अर्वाचीन (प्रातिपदिक) + पराचीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; द्वन्द्व-समास (copulative: 'near and far')

• ईश्वरम्: the Lord
• ईश्वरम्: Karma (Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• जगुः: declared/spoke of
• जगुः: Kriya (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: गै (धातु; √गै 'to sing/speak')
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद; अर्थः 'declared/spoke'

• बुधाः: the wise (people)
• बुधाः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: बुध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन

Speaker

Īśvarī/Devī (deduced from vocative 'priye' and self-identification as the mūrti of Parā Brahman)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An intimate teaching scene: the Lord as luminous liṅga or anthropomorphic Śiva speaks to ‘Beloved’ (Devī/Śakti), showing two horizons—one close (city/temple) and one vast (cosmic expanse)—signifying near and far.

Characters & Entities

• Īśvara
• Parā Brahman
• Īśvarī/Devī (speaker)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The formless Supreme is accessible through a manifest divine form; the Lord is both immanent (near) and transcendent (far).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

As part of the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, the teaching implicitly elevates Kāśī as a place where the Supreme is known as both beyond-form and worshippable form.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed; the verse supports devotional worship grounded in metaphysical unity.