Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 89

Devanagari script

अवनादोमिति ख्यातं सर्वस्यास्य प्रभावतः । भक्तमुन्नयते यस्मात्तदोमिति य ईरितः

Transliteration

avanādomiti khyātaṃ sarvasyāsya prabhāvataḥ | bhaktamunnayate yasmāttadomiti ya īritaḥ

Translation

ഇത് ‘അവനാദ-ഓം’ എന്നു പ്രസിദ്ധം; ഇതിന്റെ പ്രഭാവത്താൽ ഈ സകല പ്രകടനവും പ്രവഹിക്കുന്നു. ഭക്തനെ ഉയർത്തുന്നതിനാൽ അതിനെ ‘ഓം’ എന്നു പ്രഖ്യാപിക്കുന്നു.

Word by Word

• अवनाद-ओम्: ‘avanāda-Om’ (the Om of descending sound)
• अवनाद-ओम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अवनाद (प्रातिपदिक) + ओम् (अव्यय/प्रणव-शब्द)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (उद्धृत-नाम); कर्मधारय/नामसमास — “अवनादरूपं ओम्”

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — उद्धरणचिह्न

• ख्यातम्: is known (as)
• ख्यातम्: Kriya (Predicative/क्रियासमाना)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ख्या (धातु) → ख्यात (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

• सर्वस्य: of all
• सर्वस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• अस्य: of this
• अस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: इदम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• प्रभावतः: due to (its) power
• प्रभावतः: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रभाव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन — “due to/from the power”

• भक्तम्: the devotee
• भक्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• उन्नयते: raises, uplifts
• उन्नयते: Kriya (Main action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नी (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन; उपसर्ग ‘उद्-’ — “raises/leads up”

• यस्मात्: because of which
• यस्मात्: Hetu (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन — “from which/because of which”

• तत्-ओम्: that is ‘Om’
• तत्-ओम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + ओम् (अव्यय/प्रणव)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन (नाम); कर्मधारय “तदेव ओम्”

• इति: thus
• इति: Sambandha (Quotation marker)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय — उद्धरणचिह्न

• यः: which/that (one)
• यः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• ईरितः: is uttered/declared
• ईरितः: Kriya (Predicative/क्रियासमाना)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ईर् (धातु) → ईरित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन — “is uttered/declared”

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya sages (frame; not explicit in verse)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The praṇava Oṁ appears as a descending stream of nāda energizing creation, while simultaneously lifting a devotee upward toward the luminous source.

Characters & Entities

• Oṃ (Praṇava)
• Nāda
• Bhakta (devotee)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Oṃ is both the cosmic sound-power behind manifestation and the mantra that elevates the bhakta toward liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s praise of Kāśī, where Praṇava-centered teaching is part of the city’s spiritual greatness.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, japa/utterance of ‘Oṃ’ is supported, but no formal procedure (counts, times, vrata) is specified.