Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 120

Devanagari script

शब्दब्रह्म नमस्तुभ्यं परब्रह्म नमोस्तुते । नमो वेदांतवेद्याय वेदानां पतये नमः

Transliteration

śabdabrahma namastubhyaṃ parabrahma namostute | namo vedāṃtavedyāya vedānāṃ pataye namaḥ

Translation

ขอนอบน้อมแด่พระองค์ในฐานะ “ศัพทพรหมัน” และขอนอบน้อมแด่พระองค์ในฐานะ “ปรพรหมัน” นอบน้อมแด่พระองค์ผู้เป็นที่รู้ได้ด้วยเวทานตะ และนอบน้อมแด่พระองค์ ผู้เป็นเจ้าแห่งพระเวททั้งหลาย

Word by Word

• शब्दब्रह्म: O Sound-Brahman
• शब्दब्रह्म: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शब्द + ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; सम्बोधनार्थे/कर्मरूपे प्रयोगः (context: address)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Kriya (Speech-act/क्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक; अव्ययीभाववत्)
• Form: अव्ययम्; नमस्कारार्थक-निपात

• तुभ्यम्: to you
• तुभ्यम्: Sampradana (Dative/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम

• परब्रह्म: O Supreme Brahman
• परब्रह्म: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पर + ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्गे, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; सम्बोधनार्थे प्रयोगः

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Kriya (Speech-act/क्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक; अव्ययीभाववत्)
• Form: अव्ययम्; नमस्कारार्थक-निपात

• अस्तु: may it be
• अस्तु: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √अस् (धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकारः (आज्ञार्थ/benedictive use), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्, परस्मैपदम्

• ते: to you/your
• ते: Sampradana (Dative/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: चतुर्थी/षष्ठी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; सर्वनाम (enclitic)

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Kriya (Speech-act/क्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक; अव्ययीभाववत्)
• Form: अव्ययम्; नमस्कारार्थक-निपात

• वेदान्तवेद्याय: to the one knowable through Vedānta
• वेदान्तवेद्याय: Sampradana (Dative/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेदान्त + वेद्य (√विद् + यत्; कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, चतुर्थी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्; वेद्य-शब्दः यत्-प्रत्ययान्त (to-be-known)

• वेदानाम्: of the Vedas
• वेदानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वेद (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, षष्ठी-विभक्तिः, बहुवचनम्

• पतये: to the lord
• पतये: Sampradana (Dative/सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पति (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्गे, चतुर्थी-विभक्तिः, एकवचनम्

• नमः: salutation
• नमः: Kriya (Speech-act/क्रिया)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: नमस् (प्रातिपदिक; अव्ययीभाववत्)
• Form: अव्ययम्; नमस्कारार्थक-निपात

Speaker

Brahmā (in praise of Śiva)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (mokṣa-kṣetra; Vedānta-vedya Śiva)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Purāṇic audience within Kāśī-khaṇḍa dialogue frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: Śiva envisioned simultaneously as a stream of Vedic sound (mantra radiance) and as silent, boundless Parabrahman; the hymn bridges sound and silence.

Characters & Entities

• Śiva
• Śabdabrahman
• Parabrahman
• Vedānta
• Vedas

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Śiva is both the revealed divine in scripture (Śabdabrahman) and the transcendent Absolute (Parabrahman), realized through Vedānta.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī, famed in the Skanda Purāṇa as a mokṣa-kṣetra where Vedāntic realization is especially extolled.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual; it frames study/hearing of Veda–Vedānta and devotional salutations as spiritually efficacious.