Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 32

Devanagari script

शिवज्ञानमिति ब्रूयुः शिवशब्दार्थचिंतकाः । तच्च ज्ञानं द्रवीभूतमिह मे महिमोदयात्

Transliteration

śivajñānamiti brūyuḥ śivaśabdārthaciṃtakāḥ | tacca jñānaṃ dravībhūtamiha me mahimodayāt

Translation

‘ശിവ’ എന്ന ശബ്ദത്തിന്റെ അർത്ഥം ചിന്തിക്കുന്നവർ അതിനെ ‘ശിവജ്ഞാനം’ എന്നു വിളിക്കുന്നു. ആ ജ്ഞാനമേ എന്റെ മഹിമോദയത്താൽ ഇവിടെ ദ്രവീഭൂതമായി പ്രത്യക്ഷമായിരിക്കുന്നു।

Word by Word

• śiva-jñānam: ‘Śiva-jñāna’ (knowledge of Śiva)
• śiva-jñānam: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (शिव-प्रातिपदिक) + jñāna (ज्ञान-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः तत्पुरुषः; नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन (as quoted name)

• iti: thus, as
• iti: Sambandha (Quotation marker/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iti (अव्यय)
• Form: उद्धरण-अव्यय (quotative particle)

• brūyuḥ: would call, should say
• brūyuḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: brū (ब्रू-धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• śiva-śabda-artha-ciṃtakāḥ: thinkers on the meaning of the word ‘Śiva’
• śiva-śabda-artha-ciṃtakāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (शिव) + śabda (शब्द) + artha (अर्थ) + ciṃtaka (चिन्तक-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः बहुपद-तत्पुरुषः; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• tat: that
• tat: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (तद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

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

• jñānam: knowledge
• jñānam: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna (ज्ञान-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (apposition to tat)

• dravī-bhūtam: made fluid/melted, liquefied
• dravī-bhūtam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: dravī (द्रवी-प्रातिपदिक) + bhū (भू-धातु) + bhūta (भूत-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: कृदन्त (क्त-प्रत्यय, past passive participle of √bhū with preverb/compound sense ‘dravī-bhū’), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (of jñānam)

• iha: here
• iha: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: iha (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb: here)

• me: my
• me: Sambandha (Possessor/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (अस्मद्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी (genitive) एकवचन (enclitic)

• mahima-udayāt: from the arising of (my) glory
• mahima-udayāt: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahima (महिमा-प्रातिपदिक) + udaya (उदय-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समासः षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (mahimasya udayaḥ); पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी, एकवचन

Speaker

Viśveśvara/Śiva

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Jñānoda (concept introduced: ‘Śiva-jñāna’ made manifest)

Type: tirtha

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Īśāna

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An abstract-sacred visualization: a luminous pool/stream representing ‘Śiva-knowledge’ made fluid; sages contemplate the word ‘Śiva’ while Viśveśvara’s glory radiates, causing the ‘knowledge’ to appear as flowing light-water.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Viśveśvara

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberating ‘Śiva-knowledge’ is not only an idea but is depicted as tangibly present at the sacred site through divine glory.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The Śiva-tīrtha in Kāśī is explained as the manifested form of Śiva-jñāna, preparing for its name ‘Jñānoda’.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; the verse provides theological grounding for why darśana and contact with the tīrtha are transformative.