Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 31
प्रथमं धर्मसर्वस्वं प्रोक्ता यन्नियमा यमाः । अतस्तेष्वेव वै यत्नः कर्तव्यो धर्ममिच्छता
prathamaṃ dharmasarvasvaṃ proktā yanniyamā yamāḥ | atasteṣveva vai yatnaḥ kartavyo dharmamicchatā
D’abord et avant tout—l’essence même du dharma—sont enseignés les yama et les niyama. Ainsi, celui qui désire le dharma doit s’y appliquer avec effort.
Skanda
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A teacher-sage on a Kāśī ghat instructs a group of pilgrims, pointing to a palm-leaf list titled ‘Yama–Niyama’; behind them rises the Viśvanātha temple spire, suggesting discipline as the gateway to sacred experience.
FAQs
Ethical restraints and observances are presented as the starting point and substance of dharma.
No single site is named; the verse is part of Kāśī Khaṇḍa’s dharma instruction, supporting the sanctity of life in Kāśī.
A discipline-prescription is stated: cultivate yamas and niyamas as the primary dharmic practice.