Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 49

Devanagari script

विषयेंद्रिय संयोगो योग इत्यप्यपंडितैः । विषयासक्तचित्तानां ज्ञानं मोक्षश्च दूरतः

Transliteration

viṣayeṃdriya saṃyogo yoga ityapyapaṃḍitaiḥ | viṣayāsaktacittānāṃ jñānaṃ mokṣaśca dūrataḥ

Translation

Unkundige nennen sogar den Kontakt der Sinne mit den Objekten „Yoga“. Doch für jene, deren Geist an Sinnesdingen haftet, bleiben Erkenntnis und Befreiung (mokṣa) fern.

Word by Word

• विषयेंद्रिय: of objects and senses / object-sense
• विषयेंद्रिय: Visheshaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विषयेन्द्रिय (प्रातिपदिक; विषय + इन्द्रिय)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; संयोगः इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (used as qualifier of ‘saṃyogaḥ’; nominative singular neuter in compound-member usage)

• संयोगः: union, contact
• संयोगः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: संयोग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• योगः: yoga
• योगः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• इति: thus
• इति: Vākyārtha-dyotaka (Quotation marker/उद्धरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; उद्धरणसूचक (quotative)

• अपि: also
• अपि: Samuccaya (Addition/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अप्यर्थ (also/even)

• अपण्डितैः: by the unlearned
• अपण्डितैः: Karta (Agent in passive/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अपण्डित (प्रातिपदिक; अ- + पण्डित)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन (instrumental plural masculine)

• विषयासक्तचित्तानाम्: of those whose minds are attached to sense-objects
• विषयासक्तचित्तानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विषयासक्तचित्त (प्रातिपदिक; विषय + आसक्त + चित्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचन; विशेषण-प्रयोगः (genitive plural masculine; ‘of those whose minds are attached to objects’)

• ज्ञानम्: knowledge
• ज्ञानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (nominative singular neuter)

• मोक्षः: liberation
• मोक्षः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोक्ष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (nominative singular masculine)

• च: and
• च: Samuccaya (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयार्थक (conjunction)

• दूरतः: far away
• दूरतः: Kriya-visheshaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: दूरतस् (अव्यय/तद्धितान्त)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक क्रियाविशेषण (adverb)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A contrast scene: on one side, a distracted pilgrim chasing pleasures at the ghats; on the other, a restrained yogin turning senses inward, with a calm aura.

Characters & Entities

• Indriyas (senses)
• Viṣayas (objects)
• Jñāna
• Mokṣa
• Yoga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Yoga is not sensory indulgence; attachment to objects obstructs both true knowledge and liberation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse belongs to Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī discourse, reinforcing the city’s mokṣa-oriented renunciant ideal.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is prescribed; the practical instruction is non-attachment (vairāgya) and guarding the mind from sense-clinging.