Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

वेदाविदुर्यदाकारं नैवोपनिषदोदितम् । ब्रह्माद्या न च गीर्वाणाश्चक्रे नेत्रातिथिं सतम्

Transliteration

vedāviduryadākāraṃ naivopaniṣadoditam | brahmādyā na ca gīrvāṇāścakre netrātithiṃ satam

Translation

ଯେ ରୂପକୁ ବେଦମାନେ ମଧ୍ୟ ସମ୍ପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣ ଜାଣିପାରନ୍ତି ନାହିଁ ଏବଂ ଉପନିଷଦମାନେ ମଧ୍ୟ ସମଗ୍ରରୂପେ ପ୍ରକାଶ କରିପାରନ୍ତି ନାହିଁ—ସେହି ରୂପକୁ ବ୍ରହ୍ମାଦି ଦେବତା ଓ ଦେବଗଣ ମଧ୍ୟ ଚିରକାଳ ‘ନେତ୍ରର ଅତିଥି’ ଭଳି, ଅର୍ଥାତ୍ ସମ୍ପୂର୍ଣ୍ଣ ଦୃଶ୍ୟ ଓ ଗ୍ରାହ୍ୟ, କରିପାରିଲେ ନାହିଁ।

Word by Word

• vedāḥ: the Vedas
• vedāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: veda (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• aviduḥ: did not know
• aviduḥ: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vid (धातु) + a- (निषेध)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), बहुवचन

• yat: which
• yat: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक (relative)

• ākāram: form
• ākāram: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ākāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय (negation particle)

• eva: indeed/just
• eva: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (emphatic particle)

• upaniṣadaḥ: the Upaniṣads
• upaniṣadaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: upaniṣad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• uditam: declared/uttered
• uditam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: udita (कृदन्त; √ud/वद्-प्रयोगे)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (past passive participle), नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; 'उक्तम्/प्रोक्तम्' अर्थे

• brahmādyāḥ: Brahmā and others
• brahmādyāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: brahmā + ādi (प्रातिपदिक-समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—आदितत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्मा-आदि = Brahmā and others)

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (Particle/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: निषेध-अव्यय

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

• gīrvāṇāḥ: the gods (celestials)
• gīrvāṇāḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gīrvāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन

• cakre: made/did
• cakre: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: kṛ (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd), एकवचन

• netra-atithim: a delight to the eyes
• netra-atithim: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: netra + atithi (प्रातिपदिक-समास)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (नेत्रस्य अतिथिः = guest of the eye/one who is a feast to the eyes)

• satam: a hundred
• satam: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sata (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; संख्यावाचक/परिमाणवाचक

Speaker

Narrator (contextual, prior to Agnibiṃdu’s direct speech)

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya ṛṣis (typical frame; chapter-level context)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A luminous, partially veiled divine presence—suggested rather than fully outlined—while Vedic seers and devas stand in awe, unable to ‘fix’ the form; the atmosphere is of radiant mystery.

Characters & Entities

• Vedas
• Upaniṣads
• Brahmā
• Devas
• Govinda (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The Supreme is ultimately beyond conceptual knowledge; devotion (bhakti) becomes the truest approach when words and scriptures reach their limit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The wider context is Kāśīkhaṇḍa; the immediate scene later centers on Pañcanadā, a sacred area associated with worship in the Kāśī region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None explicitly; the verse emphasizes theological transcendence rather than a specific rite.