Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 12

Devanagari script

अमनोगोचरोवाचां विषयं न कथंचन । अनामरूपवर्णं च न स्थूलं न च यत्कृशम्

Transliteration

amanogocarovācāṃ viṣayaṃ na kathaṃcana | anāmarūpavarṇaṃ ca na sthūlaṃ na ca yatkṛśam

Translation

അത് മനസ്സിന് അഗോചരവും വാക്കുകൾക്കു ഒരിക്കലും വിഷയമാകാത്തതുമാണ്. അതിന് നാമമില്ല, രൂപമില്ല, വർണ്ണമില്ല—സ്ഥൂലവും അല്ല, സൂക്ഷ്മവും അല്ല.

Word by Word

• अमनोगोचरः: not accessible to the mind
• अमनोगोचरः: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ- (निषेध) + मनस् (प्रातिपदिक) + गोचर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; नञ्-तत्पुरुषः (मनोगोचरः इति)

• वाचाम्: of words/speech
• वाचाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वाच् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• विषयम्: object/domain
• विषयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विषय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय (negative particle)

• कथंचन: in any way at all
• कथंचन: Kriya-vishesana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कथम् (अव्यय) + चन (अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रकारवाचक-अनिश्चितता (in any way/at all)

• अनामरूपवर्णम्: without name, form, and color
• अनामरूपवर्णम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अ- (निषेध) + नाम (प्रातिपदिक) + रूप (प्रातिपदिक) + वर्ण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; नञ्-तत्पुरुषः (नाम-रूप-वर्ण-रहितम्)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• स्थूलम्: gross
• स्थूलम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्थूल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• न: nor
• न: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक-अव्यय

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक-अव्यय

• यत्: which/that
• यत्: Sambandha (Relative pronoun/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-सर्वनाम

• कृशम्: thin/subtle
• कृशम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृश (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-kṣetra (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer audience (ṛṣis/seekers)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A quiet Kāśī ghat at dawn; a yogin seated in deep meditation while the luminous, formless presence is suggested only by radiance and empty space—no anthropomorphic deity, emphasizing the ineffable.

Characters & Entities

• Brahman
• Kāśī (context)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Absolute Reality is ultimately indescribable—beyond mental concepts and verbal definition.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching occurs within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, framing Kāśī as the sacred setting where the highest truth is revealed.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No direct ritual is prescribed in this verse; it is primarily a metaphysical description.