Skanda Purana — Brahma Khanda, Shloka 96

Devanagari script

तेन ध्यायसि विश्वेशं ततो मुक्तिमवाप्स्यसि । ध्यायतः शिवपादाब्जं मुक्तिरेकेन जन्मना

Transliteration

tena dhyāyasi viśveśaṃ tato muktimavāpsyasi | dhyāyataḥ śivapādābjaṃ muktirekena janmanā

Translation

അതിലൂടെ നീ വിശ്വേശ്വരനെ ധ്യാനിക്കും; തുടർന്ന് മോക്ഷം പ്രാപിക്കും. ശിവന്റെ പാദപദ്മം ധ്യാനിക്കുന്നവന് ഒരേ ജന്മത്തിൽ തന്നെ മോക്ഷം ലഭിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• तेन: thereby
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक; सर्वनाम)
• Form: नपुंसक/पुं, तृतीया, एकवचन (instrumental singular: ‘by that/thereby’)

• ध्यायसि: you meditate
• ध्यायसि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dhyai (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन (present, 2nd sg)

• विश्वेशम्: Lord of the universe
• विश्वेशम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viśva + īśa (प्रातिपदिक; घटक: विश्व + ईश)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (masc accusative singular)

• ततः: then
• ततः: Sambandha (Adverbial/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतु/अनन्तरवाचक अव्यय (adverb: ‘then/thereafter’)

• मुक्तिम्: liberation
• मुक्तिम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (fem accusative singular)

• अवाप्स्यसि: you will attain
• अवाप्स्यसि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ava-√āp (धातु)
• Form: लृट् (simple future), परस्मैपद, मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन (future, 2nd sg)

• ध्यायतः: of (one) meditating
• ध्यायतः: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dhyai (धातु)
• Form: शतृ-प्रत्यय वर्तमानकृदन्त, पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी, एकवचन (genitive singular: ‘of one meditating/while meditating’)

• शिव: of Śiva
• शिव: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन (masc gen sg; in compound)

• पाद: foot
• पाद: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (masc nom/acc sg; in compound)

• अब्जम्: lotus
• अब्जम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abja (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (neuter accusative singular; ‘lotus’)

• मुक्तिः: liberation
• मुक्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mukti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (fem nominative singular)

• एकेन: by one (single)
• एकेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: eka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया, एकवचन (instrumental singular)

• जन्मना: by (one) birth/lifetime
• जन्मना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: janman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन (instrumental singular)

Speaker

Unspecified (didactic narrator/teacher)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta/Kāśī (Viśveśa)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: The addressed woman

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A purified devotee meditates on Viśveśa—Śiva as Lord of the Universe—visualized through the lotus-feet; the scene suggests inner stillness and imminent liberation.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Viśveśa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Meditation on Śiva (Viśveśa), especially on His lotus-feet, is presented as a direct path to liberation—even within one lifetime.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The epithet Viśveśa is strongly associated with Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), though the verse itself does not explicitly name the place.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Dhyāna (meditation) upon Viśveśa/Śiva’s lotus-feet as a focused spiritual practice.