Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 79

Devanagari script

यदाहुः परमं तत्त्वं यदाहुर्ब्रह्मसत्तमम् । स्वसंवेद्यं यदाहुश्च तत्तत्रांते दिशाम्यहम्

Transliteration

yadāhuḥ paramaṃ tattvaṃ yadāhurbrahmasattamam | svasaṃvedyaṃ yadāhuśca tattatrāṃte diśāmyaham

Translation

สิ่งที่เหล่าฤษีเรียกว่า “ตัตตวะสูงสุด” สิ่งที่เรียกว่า “พรหมันอันประเสริฐยิ่ง” และสิ่งที่ประกาศว่า “รู้ได้ด้วยตนเองโดยตรง” — เราเผยสิ่งนั้น ณ ที่นั้น ในบั้นปลายอันถึงที่สุด

Word by Word

• यत्: which/that (what)
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular); सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative)

• आहुः: they call/say
• आहुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अह् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम् (they have said/they say)

• परमम्: supreme
• परमम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular); विशेषण (qualifying तत्त्वम्)

• तत्त्वम्: principle/reality
• तत्त्वम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तत्त्व (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• यत्: which/that
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular); सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय

• आहुः: they call
• आहुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अह् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• ब्रह्मसत्तमम्: the most excellent Brahman
• ब्रह्मसत्तमम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् + सत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ब्रह्मणः सत्तमम् = the best/most excellent Brahman)

• स्वसंवेद्यम्: self-cognizable
• स्वसंवेद्यम्: Visheshana (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: स्व + संवेद्य (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; √विद्/संविद्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular); कृदन्त (यत्-प्रत्यय/gerundive: ‘to be known’), तत्पुरुषः (स्वेन संवेद्यम् = self-cognizable)

• यत्: which
• यत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular)

• आहुः: they call
• आहुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अह् (धातु)
• Form: लिट्-लकार (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

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

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Neuter, Accusative, Singular); अन्वय-निर्देश (correlative)

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

• अन्ते: at the end/within (that place)
• अन्ते: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Masculine, Locative, Singular)

• दिशामि: I bestow/point out
• दिशामि: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: दिश् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• अहम्: I
• अहम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अस्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन (Nominative, Singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (culmination point of realization)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Pilgrims/seekers within the Kāśī-khaṇḍa narrative frame

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contemplative scene in Kāśī: a sage seated near a shrine/ghāṭ, the city’s sacred skyline behind, with an inner light symbolizing self-revealing Brahman.

Characters & Entities

• Brahman
• Paramatattva
• Kāśī (implied)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The highest truth is not merely conceptual; it is self-evident realization, and Kāśī is praised as the place where it is disclosed.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī is implied as the sacred locus where the supreme truth is revealed, though no single tīrtha-name is stated in this verse.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit ritual is prescribed; the emphasis is on jñāna—direct inner realization of Brahman.