Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 57
क्षणमप्येकमुदकं यथा न स्थिरतामियात् । वाताहतं यथा चित्तं तस्मात्तस्य न विश्वसेत्
kṣaṇamapyekamudakaṃ yathā na sthiratāmiyāt | vātāhataṃ yathā cittaṃ tasmāttasya na viśvaset
Wie Wasser auch nur einen Augenblick nicht unbewegt bleibt, so schwankt der Geist, von den Winden der Regungen getroffen. Darum soll man ihm, wie er ist, nicht vertrauen.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Gaṅgā in Kāśī
Type: ghat
Listener: pilgrim-seekers/ṛṣis (contextual)
Scene: Close view of rippling water on the Ganga; above it, a translucent overlay of a human mind-symbol (fluttering banner or leaf) tossed by gusts, illustrating citta’s instability; an ascetic watches with discernment.
FAQs
The mind is inherently unstable; spiritual life requires disciplined stabilization rather than blind reliance on mental impulses.
In the Kāśīkhaṇḍa setting, Kāśī is the sacred ground where such yogic discernment and mind-training are taught for mokṣa.
No external ritual is stated; the practical instruction is to recognize mental instability and undertake control/training.