Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 73

Devanagari script

तत्रोत्क्रमणकाले तु साक्षाद्विश्वेश्वरः स्वयम् । व्याचष्टे तारकं ब्रह्म येनासौ तन्मयो भवेत्

Transliteration

tatrotkramaṇakāle tu sākṣādviśveśvaraḥ svayam | vyācaṣṭe tārakaṃ brahma yenāsau tanmayo bhavet

Translation

ସେଠାରେ ଦେହତ୍ୟାଗ ସମୟରେ ସାକ୍ଷାତ୍ ବିଶ୍ୱେଶ୍ୱର ସ୍ୱୟଂ ତାରକ-ବ୍ରହ୍ମକୁ ବ୍ୟାଖ୍ୟା କରନ୍ତି; ଯାହାଦ୍ୱାରା ସେ ଜୀବ ତାଙ୍କର ହିଁ ସ୍ୱରୂପମୟ ହୋଇଯାଏ।

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, देशवाचक (locative adverb: there)

• उत्क्रमणकाले: at the time of departing (from the body)
• उत्क्रमणकाले: Adhikaraṇa (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्क्रमणकाल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (उत्क्रमणस्य कालः)

• तु: then/but
• तु: Sambandha-bodhaka (Discourse particle/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle)

• साक्षात्: directly
• साक्षात्: Kriya-visheṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: साक्षात् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, क्रियाविशेषण (directly, in person)

• विश्वेश्वरः: Lord of the universe (Viśveśvara)
• विश्वेश्वरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: विश्व (प्रातिपदिक) + ईश्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (विश्वस्य ईश्वरः)

• स्वयम्: himself
• स्वयम्: Karta-prayojaka (Emphatic to subject/स्वयम्)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय, आत्मार्थक (reflexive/emphatic: himself)

• व्याचष्टे: explains/utters
• व्याचष्टे: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि-आ-√चक्ष् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपद

• तारकम्: saving, ferrying-across
• तारकम्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; विशेषण (that which ferries across)

• ब्रह्म: the Brahman (sacred formula/ultimate reality)
• ब्रह्म: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• येन: by which
• येन: Karaṇa (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया, एकवचन; सम्बन्धक (relative pronoun)

• असौ: he (that one)
• असौ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: असद्/अदस् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; संकेतवाचक सर्वनाम (that person)

• तन्मयः: made of that; identical with that
• तन्मयः: Kartṛ-predicative (Subject complement/कर्तृसम्बन्धी विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (तद्-मयः = consisting of that)

• भवेत्: would become
• भवेत्: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: null

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Viśveśvara manifests beside a dying devotee in Kāśī, leaning close to whisper the Tāraka Brahman; the devotee’s subtle body rises as a luminous form merging into Śiva’s radiance; Gaṅgā and temple lamps frame the scene.

Characters & Entities

• Viśveśvara (Śiva)
• Tāraka Brahman
• Kāśī
• Mokṣa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is presented as uniquely liberating because Śiva Himself grants saving knowledge/mantra at the moment of death, enabling union with the divine.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Avimukta Kṣetra in Kāśī, presided over by Viśveśvara (Viśvanātha/Śiva).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse highlights divine instruction of the ‘Tāraka’ (saving) Brahman/mantra at death rather than a human-performed ritual.