Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 41

Devanagari script

न कालवंचनोपायं मुनेन्यमवयाम्यहम् । विना मृत्युजयं काशीनाथं गर्भावरोधकम्

Transliteration

na kālavaṃcanopāyaṃ munenyamavayāmyaham | vinā mṛtyujayaṃ kāśīnāthaṃ garbhāvarodhakam

Translation

हे मुने! काळाला फसविण्याचा कोणताही उपाय मी सांगत नाही—फक्त काशीनाथ, जे ‘मृत्युंजय’ असून गर्भप्रवेश (पुनर्जन्म) रोखणारे आहेत, त्यांच्यावाचून.

Word by Word

• न: not
• न: Sambandha (Negation)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेधार्थक निपात (negation)

• कालवञ्चनोपायम्: means of deceiving time
• कालवञ्चनोपायम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक) + वञ्चन (प्रातिपदिक) + उपाय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (कालस्य वञ्चनस्य उपायः)

• मुने: O sage
• मुने: Sambodhana (Address)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मुनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (8th/Vocative), एकवचन

• एन्यम्: such/this (kind of)
• एन्यम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; विशेषणम्

• अवयामि: I declare/expound
• अवयामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अव+या (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: उत्तमपुरुष-सर्वनाम, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• विना: without
• विना: Sambandha (Exclusion)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विना (अव्यय)
• Form: उपसर्गसदृश अव्यय; वियोगार्थक (without); प्रायः तृतीया/द्वितीयासह

• मृत्युजयम्: (the) conqueror of death / Mṛtyuñjaya
• मृत्युजयम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु (प्रातिपदिक) + जय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (मृत्योः जयः)

• काशीनाथम्: Lord of Kāśī
• काशीनाथम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काशी (प्रातिपदिक) + नाथ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (काश्याः नाथः)

• गर्भावरोधकम्: the one who blocks (rebirth in) the womb
• गर्भावरोधकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: गर्भ (प्रातिपदिक) + अवरोधक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; कर्मधारय/तत्पुरुष-भावः (गर्भस्य अवरोधकः) विशेषणम् (काशीनाथस्य)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta) / Kāśīnātha

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Muni (sage)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sage is addressed: the speaker declares that Time cannot be cheated, except by Kāśīnātha—Śiva as Mṛtyuñjaya—radiant, holding trident, granting fearlessness and sealing the gate of rebirth.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśīnātha
• Mṛtyuñjaya (Śiva)
• Kāśī

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

No worldly trick defeats death; only Śiva—Kāśīnātha as Mṛtyuñjaya—grants victory over death by granting freedom from rebirth.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) through its Lord Kāśīnātha/Viśveśvara, praised as the unique refuge beyond Time.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Implicitly, surrender/devotion to Kāśīnātha (Mṛtyuñjaya) is prescribed as the effective spiritual remedy against death and rebirth.