Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 99

Devanagari script

अत्रोत्क्रमणकालेहं स्वयमेव द्विजोत्तमाः । दिशामि तारकं ब्रह्म देही स्याद्येन तन्मयः

Transliteration

atrotkramaṇakālehaṃ svayameva dvijottamāḥ | diśāmi tārakaṃ brahma dehī syādyena tanmayaḥ

Translation

హే ద్విజోత్తములారా, ఇక్కడ కాశీలో దేహత్యాగకాలంలో నేను స్వయంగా తారక-బ్రహ్మము—మోక్షప్రద మంత్రాన్ని—ఉపదేశిస్తాను; దాని వలన దేహి ఆ పరమ తత్త్వంలో తన్నయమవుతాడు।

Word by Word

• अत्र: here
• अत्र: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• उत्क्रमण-काले: at the time of departure (from the body)
• उत्क्रमण-काले: Adhikarana (Time/कालाधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: उत्क्रमण (प्रातिपदिक) + काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी-विभक्ति (Locative/7th), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (उत्क्रमणस्य कालः)

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

• स्वयम्: personally
• स्वयम्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: स्वयम् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; आत्मनः-प्रयोगे (reflexive adverb)

• एव: indeed/only
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारणार्थक-निपात (particle of emphasis)

• द्विजोत्तमाः: O best of the twice-born (Brahmins)
• द्विजोत्तमाः: Sambodhana (Address/Vocative sense)
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विज (प्रातिपदिक) + उत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), बहुवचन; कर्मधारय-समास (उत्तमा द्विजाः)

• दिशामि: I give/teach
• दिशामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दिश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तम-पुरुष (1st person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तारकम्: saving/delivering
• तारकम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तारक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन; विशेषण (ब्रह्मणः)

• ब्रह्म: Brahman (the sacred formula/ultimate reality)
• ब्रह्म: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative/2nd), एकवचन

• देही: the embodied being
• देही: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: देहिन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन

• स्यात्: would become/may become
• स्यात्: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अस् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथम-पुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• येन: by which
• येन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental/3rd), एकवचन; नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग-रूप (context: instrument ‘by which’)

• तन्मयः: of that nature; identical with That
• तन्मयः: Karta-predicative (Predicate adjective/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + मय (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा-विभक्ति (Nominative/1st), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समास (तद्-मयः = तद्रूपः)

Speaker

Śiva (deduced from Kāśī-mokṣa context: bestower of the Tāraka mantra at death in Kāśī)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Avimukta (Kāśī)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: dvijottamāḥ (best of the twice-born) / sages addressed in the discourse

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A dying devotee in Kāśī, near the cremation-ghāṭ, as Śiva appears in compassionate form whispering the Tāraka-mantra into the ear; attendants, lamps, Gaṅgā flowing, and the aura of liberation.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Tāraka Brahman
• Kāśī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Kāśī is praised as a supreme liberating field where Śiva Himself grants the saving knowledge/mantra at the moment of death.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī (Vārāṇasī/Avimukta), implied as the place where liberation is specially assured.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No external rite is prescribed; the focus is on Śiva’s direct bestowal of the Tāraka-Brahman at the time of death.