Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 6

Devanagari script

दृश्यं विनश्वरं सर्वं विशेषाद्यदनीश्वरम् । ततोऽत्र चित्रं किं ब्रह्मन्कंकालः कालयेन्न वै

Transliteration

dṛśyaṃ vinaśvaraṃ sarvaṃ viśeṣādyadanīśvaram | tato'tra citraṃ kiṃ brahmankaṃkālaḥ kālayenna vai

Translation

Segala yang tampak adalah fana, terlebih lagi yang tidak berdaulat. Maka, wahai Brahmana, apa keajaiban di sini bila Kala (waktu) menghancurkan sebuah kerangka?

Word by Word

• दृश्यम्: visible
• दृश्यम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दृश्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (that which is seen)

• विनश्वरम्: perishable
• विनश्वरम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विनश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• सर्वम्: all
• सर्वम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• विशेषात्: especially
• विशेषात्: Apadana (Ablative/अपादान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; ‘especially’ (ablative of specification)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative pronoun)

• अनीश्वरम्: not independent; powerless
• अनीश्वरम्: Visheshana (Adjectival/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनीश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण

• ततः: therefore
• ततः: Sambandha (Discourse link/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तस्मात्-अर्थे (therefore/from that)

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Locative sense/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb)

• चित्रम्: wonder; strange thing
• चित्रम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चित्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; ‘wonder’

• किम्: what?
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; प्रश्नवाचक

• ब्रह्मन्: O Brahmin (sage)
• ब्रह्मन्: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• कंकालः: skeleton
• कंकालः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कंकाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• कालयेत्: should destroy; should bring to an end
• कालयेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कल्/काल् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद; causative sense ‘to destroy/bring to end’

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध (negation particle)

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात; निश्चय/प्रत्यय (indeed)

Speaker

Śambhu (Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Brahman interlocutor addressed as ‘brahman’ (and assembled sages)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A pointed rhetorical teaching: the perishable seen-world contrasted with Īśvara; imagery of a skull/skeleton and the inexorable flow of time, with Kāśī’s ghats as silent witness.

Characters & Entities

• Śambhu (Śiva)
• Brahman (addressed sage, likely Nārada)
• Kāla (Time)
• Kaṅkāla (skeleton)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Since all visible things are subject to decay, wise people do not marvel at loss; they cultivate detachment and seek the imperishable.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tīrtha is named; as part of Kāśī Khaṇḍa, it reinforces Kāśī’s liberative teaching: the seen world falls, the Lord remains.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; the verse is a reasoning-based instruction on impermanence.