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

اے بہترین دو بار جنم لینے والو! یہاں کاشی میں جسم چھوڑتے وقت میں خود تارک برہمن—نجات بخش منتر—عطا کرتا ہوں، جس کے ذریعے مجسم جیواَتما اُس پرم حقیقت میں یکجان ہو جاتی ہے۔

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.