Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

अविमुक्तं समासाद्य क्षेत्रंक्षेत्रज्ञधिष्ठितम् । मुक्तये सर्वजंतूनामविमुक्तं शिवेन यत्

Transliteration

avimuktaṃ samāsādya kṣetraṃkṣetrajñadhiṣṭhitam | muktaye sarvajaṃtūnāmavimuktaṃ śivena yat

Translation

അവർ അവിമുക്തത്തെ പ്രാപിച്ചു—ക്ഷേത്രജ്ഞൻ അധിഷ്ഠിതമായ ആ പുണ്യക്ഷേത്രം; ശിവൻ സർവ്വജീവികളുടെ മോക്ഷത്തിനായി ‘അവിമുക്ത’മായി നിശ്ചയിച്ചതത്।

Word by Word

• अविमुक्तम्: Avimukta (Kāśī)
• अविमुक्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अविमुक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; स्थाननाम

• समासाद्य: having approached/reached
• समासाद्य: Purvakala (Prior action/पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम् + आ + सद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वा-प्रत्ययान्त अव्यय (Gerund/Absolutive)

• क्षेत्रम्: the sacred field
• क्षेत्रम्: Karma (Apposition/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• क्षेत्रज्ञधिष्ठितम्: presided over by the Knower of the Field (Śiva)
• क्षेत्रज्ञधिष्ठितम्: Karma (Qualifier/कर्म-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्षेत्रज्ञ + अधिष्ठित (अधि + स्था धातु, क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (क्षेत्रज्ञेन अधिष्ठितम्)

• मुक्तये: for liberation
• मुक्तये: Sampradana (Purpose/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुक्ति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, चतुर्थी-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• सर्वजन्तूनाम्: of all beings
• सर्वजन्तूनाम्: Sambandha (Beneficiary genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + जन्तु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; कर्मधारय (सर्वे जन्तवः)

• अविमुक्तम्: Avimukta
• अविमुक्तम्: Karma (Correlative/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अविमुक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; स्थाननाम

• शिवेन: by Śiva
• शिवेन: Karana/Agent (Instrument/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Sages arrive at Avimukta: a radiant sacred precinct with Śiva’s unseen presence; the ‘Knower of the Field’ suggested by a luminous liṅga or a subtle cosmic eye, with Kāśī ghāṭs and temples hinted in the distance.

Characters & Entities

• Avimukta
• Śiva
• Kṣetrajña

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī’s Avimukta is presented as a liberation-field where Śiva, the inner Knower, directly presides for the mokṣa of beings.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Avimukta-kṣetra in Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), famed as ‘never abandoned’ by Śiva.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Pilgrimage/approach (samāsādya) to Avimukta is implied as a salvific act; no detailed rite is specified here.