Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 34

Devanagari script

सर्वः प्रकृत्या ज्ञायेत स्थाणुः प्रकृतिवर्जितः । प्रायशः पुरुषोनासावर्धनारीवपुर्यतः

Transliteration

sarvaḥ prakṛtyā jñāyeta sthāṇuḥ prakṛtivarjitaḥ | prāyaśaḥ puruṣonāsāvardhanārīvapuryataḥ

Translation

ທຸກຄົນຖືກຮູ້ຈັກໂດຍທ່າທີ່ເປັນທໍາມະຊາດບາງຢ່າງ; ແຕ່ສະຖານຸ (ພຣະສິວະ) ປາສະຈາກຄຸນລັກສະນະທີ່ຈໍາກັດເຫຼົ່ານັ້ນ. ແລະກໍບໍ່ແມ່ນພຽງແຕ່ຜູ້ຊາຍ ເພາະຖືກສັນລະເສີນວ່າ “ອັດທະນາຣີ” ມີຮູບກາຍຄື່ງໜຶ່ງເປັນຍິງ.

Word by Word

• सर्वः: everyone / all
• सर्वः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम-प्रयोग (everyone/whole)

• प्रकृत्या: by nature
• प्रकृत्या: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रकृति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• ज्ञायेत: should be known/recognized
• ज्ञायेत: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ज्ञा (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद, कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• स्थाणुः: a stump / immovable one
• स्थाणुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्थाणु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• प्रकृतिवर्जितः: devoid of nature/constitution
• प्रकृतिवर्जितः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रकृति-वर्जित (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• प्रायशः: generally
• प्रायशः: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: प्रायशस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रियाविशेषण (mostly/generally)

• पुरुषः: a man/person
• पुरुषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुरुष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

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

• असौ: that one
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; निर्देशवाचक-सर्वनाम

• अर्धनारीवपुः: a half-female body (androgynous form)
• अर्धनारीवपुः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्ध-नारी-वपुस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; (वपुस्-शब्द)

• यतः: because
• यतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यतस् (अव्यय/सम्बन्ध)
• Form: हेतौ अव्ययम् (causal indeclinable: 'because/since')

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī / Avimukta

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya sages (frame; not explicit)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Ardhanārīśvara appears above a Kāśī shrine: right half Śiva with matted locks and crescent moon, left half Devī with ornaments; below, the liṅga glows, suggesting the same reality beyond attributes.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Sthāṇu
• Ardhanārī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva is beyond limiting attributes (nirguṇa) and beyond ordinary gender categories, yet manifests compassionately in forms like Ardhanārī for devotees.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is the setting of the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, and the verse supports Kāśī’s Śaiva theology rather than naming a distinct tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is a doctrinal statement about Śiva’s nature and manifestation.