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

Les ignorants appellent même « yoga » le contact des sens avec les objets. Mais pour ceux dont l’esprit s’attache aux objets des sens, la connaissance et la délivrance (mokṣa) demeurent lointaines.

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.