Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 91

Devanagari script

तदा क्व ते महादेव पाप ब्रह्मवधादिकम् । पारतंत्र्यं न ते शंभो स्वैरं क्रीडेत्ततो भवान्

Transliteration

tadā kva te mahādeva pāpa brahmavadhādikam | pārataṃtryaṃ na te śaṃbho svairaṃ krīḍettato bhavān

Translation

അപ്പോൾ ഹേ മഹാദേവാ! ബ്രഹ്മഹത്യാദിയായ ‘പാപം’ നിനക്കു എവിടെ? ഹേ ശംഭോ! നീ പരാധീനനല്ല; അതുകൊണ്ട് നീ പൂർണ്ണ സ്വാതന്ത്ര്യത്തിൽ ലീലിച്ചു വിഹരിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• तदा: then
• तदा: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा (अव्यय)
• Form: कालवाचक-अव्यय (temporal adverb: 'then')

• क्व: where
• क्व: Adhikarana (Place/देशाधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: क्व (अव्यय)
• Form: प्रश्नवाचक-अव्यय (interrogative adverb: 'where')

• ते: your / of you
• ते: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी/चतुर्थी?—अत्र षष्ठी एकवचन (Genitive singular: 'of you/your')

• महादेव: O Mahādeva
• महादेव: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: महादेव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः महा+देव (कर्मधारय)

• पापम्: sin
• पापम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पाप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (Nom./Acc. sg.)

• ब्रह्मवधादिकम्: such as brahma-slaughter etc.
• ब्रह्मवधादिकम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ब्रह्मवध + आदिक (प्रातिपदिक); आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; समासः ब्रह्मवध-आदिक (तत्पुरुष: 'beginning with brahma-slaughter')

• पारतंत्र्यम्: dependence, subjection
• पारतंत्र्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पारतन्त्र्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

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

• ते: for you / of you
• ते: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: षष्ठी एकवचन (Genitive singular: 'of you/your')

• शंभो: O Śambhu
• शंभो: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शम्भु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

• स्वैरम्: freely, at will
• स्वैरम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्वैर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्रियाविशेषणवत् (adverbially: 'freely')

• क्रीडेत्: would play / may sport
• क्रीडेत्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्रीड् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• ततः: therefore
• ततः: Hetu (Reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः (अव्यय)
• Form: तस्मात्-अर्थे अव्यय (ablatival adverb: 'therefore/from that')

• भवान्: you (honored one)
• भवान्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवत् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (honorific pronoun)

Speaker

Brahmā

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and other ṛṣis (frame); internal speaker is a devotee/sage addressing Śiva

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A theological dialogue in Kāśī praising Śambhu’s absolute freedom: Śiva serene, ash-smeared, with crescent moon and matted locks, seated as the cosmic lord while the speaker gestures in wonder about ‘sin’ not touching him.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva (Mahādeva/Śambhu)
• Brahmā (as concept in brahma-vadha)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Īśvara is not constrained by karma as embodied beings are; divine actions are expressions of sovereignty, not moral bondage.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse sits within Kāśī Khaṇḍa’s exaltation of Śiva’s supremacy in Kāśī, though it does not name a particular tīrtha.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None; it is theological clarification about Śiva’s transcendence.