Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 56

Devanagari script

नित्याभ्यसनशीलस्य स्वसंवेद्यं हि तद्भवेत् । तत्सूक्ष्मत्वादनिर्देश्यं परं ब्रह्म सनातनम्

Transliteration

nityābhyasanaśīlasya svasaṃvedyaṃ hi tadbhavet | tatsūkṣmatvādanirdeśyaṃ paraṃ brahma sanātanam

Translation

ผู้ที่หมั่นเพียรฝึกปฏิบัติเป็นนิตย์ ย่อมรู้แจ้งสภาวะนั้นด้วยตนเองโดยตรง. เพราะความละเอียดลึกซึ้ง พรหมันสูงสุดอันเป็นนิรันดร์จึงมิอาจชี้บอกหรือกำหนดนิยามได้

Word by Word

• नित्याभ्यसनशीलस्य: of one who is habitually engaged in constant practice
• नित्याभ्यसनशीलस्य: सम्बन्ध (Genitive relation)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नित्य (प्रातिपदिक) + अभ्यास (प्रातिपदिक) + शील (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (नित्यं अभ्यासः यस्य सः/अभ्यसनशीलः)

• स्वसंवेद्यम्: to be known/experienced by oneself
• स्वसंवेद्यम्: कर्म/विधेय (Object/Predicate complement)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + संवेद्य (कृदन्त, √विद्/√वेद् (धातु) + यत्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/Acc), एकवचन; कृदन्तः—यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (passive potential/gerundive)

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: सम्बन्ध (Discourse particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (particle), हेत्वर्थ/निश्चयार्थ

• तत्: that (state/thing)
• तत्: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• भवेत्: would become / should be
• भवेत्: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (Optative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• तत्सूक्ष्मत्वात्: because of its subtlety
• तत्सूक्ष्मत्वात्: अपादान (Ablative cause/source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + सूक्ष्मत्व (प्रातिपदिक; सूक्ष्म + त्व)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (तस्य सूक्ष्मत्वात्)

• अनिर्देश्यम्: indescribable / not to be indicated
• अनिर्देश्यम्: विधेय (Predicate adjective)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निर्देश्य (कृदन्त, √दिश् (धातु) + यत्) + अ- (नञ्/निषेध)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/Acc), एकवचन; कृदन्तः—यत्-प्रत्ययान्त, नञ्-पूर्वक (negated)

• परम्: supreme
• परम्: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/Acc), एकवचन

• ब्रह्म: Brahman
• ब्रह्म: विधेय/कर्म (Predicate noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/Acc), एकवचन

• सनातनम्: eternal
• सनातनम्: विशेषण (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सनातन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/Acc), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and other ṛṣis (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A yogin seated in stillness on a Kāśī ghat at dawn; the Ganga flows while an inner radiance (Brahman) is suggested as formless light beyond depiction; Śiva’s presence implied as silent witness.

Characters & Entities

• Brahman
• Abhyāsa (practice)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Steady practice yields direct realization, while Brahman remains beyond verbal definition due to its subtle nature.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

As part of the Kāśīkhaṇḍa, the teaching reinforces Kāśī’s reputation for guiding seekers toward subtle, direct Brahman-realization.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The prescription is nitya-abhyāsa—continuous disciplined practice—rather than an external rite.