Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 83

Devanagari script

ओंकारं प्रणवं सारं परब्रह्मप्रकाशकम् । शब्दब्रह्मत्रयीरूपं नादबिंदुकलालयम्

Transliteration

oṃkāraṃ praṇavaṃ sāraṃ parabrahmaprakāśakam | śabdabrahmatrayīrūpaṃ nādabiṃdukalālayam

Translation

ഓംകാരം—പ്രണവം—സാരസ്വരൂപം, പരബ്രഹ്മത്തെ പ്രകാശിപ്പിക്കുന്നത്; അത് ശബ്ദബ്രഹ്മരൂപമായ വേദത്രയീ, നാദം-ബിന്ദു-കല എന്നിവയുടെ ആലയം.

Word by Word

• oṃkāram: Oṃkāra
• oṃkāram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: oṃkāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन

• praṇavam: the praṇava (sacred syllable)
• praṇavam: Karma (Object in apposition/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: praṇava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन (apposition to oṃkāram)

• sāram: essence
• sāram: Karma (Object in apposition/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन (appositional)

• para: supreme
• para: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: (समासपूर्वपद) विशेषण-प्रातिपदिक ‘supreme’

• brahma: Brahman
• brahma: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: (समासपूर्वपद) नपुंसकलिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिक ‘Brahman’

• prakāśakam: revealing (supreme Brahman)
• prakāśakam: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: prakāśaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः = para-brahma-prakāśaka (तत्पुरुषः: ‘revealer of supreme Brahman’)

• śabda: sound
• śabda: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śabda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: (समासपूर्वपद) पुंलिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिक ‘sound/word’

• brahma: Brahman
• brahma: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: (समासपूर्वपद) नपुंसकलिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिक ‘Brahman’

• trayi: the triad (of Vedas)
• trayi: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: trayi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: (समासपूर्वपद) स्त्रीलिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिक ‘the Vedic triad/three Vedas’

• rūpam: having the form (of)
• rūpam: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rūpa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः = śabda-brahma-trayī-rūpa (तत्पुरुषः: ‘having the form of the triad of śabda-brahman’)

• nāda: nāda
• nāda: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: (समासपूर्वपद) पुंलिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिक ‘mystic sound’

• biṃdu: bindu
• biṃdu: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bindu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: (समासपूर्वपद) पुंलिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिक ‘bindu/point’

• kalā: kalā (part/digit)
• kalā: Sambandha (Compound member/समासाङ्ग)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kalā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: (समासपूर्वपद) स्त्रीलिङ्ग-प्रातिपदिक ‘digit/part’

• ālayam: abode
• ālayam: Karma (Object qualifier/कर्मविशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ālaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd), एकवचन; समासः = nāda-bindu-kalā-ālaya (तत्पुरुषः: ‘abode of nāda, bindu, and kalā’)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśī Khaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī (Praṇava-kṣetra framing)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: The syllable Oṃ radiates above Kāśī like a luminous glyph; from it emanate three streams symbolizing the Vedas, while concentric ripples depict nāda, a central point depicts bindu, and a crescent/flame-like subtle arc depicts kalā.

Characters & Entities

• Oṃkāra
• Praṇava
• Parabrahman
• Śabda-Brahman
• Trayī (three Vedas)
• Nāda
• Bindu
• Kalā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Oṃ is presented as the sonic form of Brahman—both the essence of Vedic revelation and a direct pointer to the Supreme.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching belongs to Kāśī’s Māhātmya context, where Praṇava-centered devotion is treated as a liberating path.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, japa/meditation on Oṃkāra (Praṇava) is upheld, though no procedural details are stated in this verse.