Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 25

Devanagari script

किमष्टांगेन योगेन किं तपोभिः किमध्वरैः । वास एव हि गंगायां ब्रह्मज्ञानस्य कारणम्

Transliteration

kimaṣṭāṃgena yogena kiṃ tapobhiḥ kimadhvaraiḥ | vāsa eva hi gaṃgāyāṃ brahmajñānasya kāraṇam

Translation

അഷ്ടാംഗയോഗം എന്തിന്, തപസ്സുകൾ എന്തിന്, യജ്ഞങ്ങൾ എന്തിന്? ഗംഗാതീരത്ത് വെറും വാസം തന്നെയാണ് ബ്രഹ്മജ്ഞാനത്തിന് കാരണമാകുന്നത്.

Word by Word

• किम्: what (use?)
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Nom/Acc), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• अष्टाङ्गेन: by eight-limbed (yoga)
• अष्टाङ्गेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अष्टाङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग/पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (अष्ट + अङ्ग)

• योगेन: by yoga
• योगेन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), एकवचन

• किम्: what (use?)
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• तपोभिः: by austerities
• तपोभिः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तपस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• किम्: what (use?)
• किम्: Prashna (Interrogative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक

• अध्वरैः: by sacrifices (rites)
• अध्वरैः: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अध्वर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति (3rd/Instrumental), बहुवचन

• वासः: dwelling, residence
• वासः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• एव: alone, indeed
• एव: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अवधारण-अव्यय (particle of emphasis/only)

• हि: indeed
• हि: Sambandha (Emphasis/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• गङ्गायाम्: in the Gaṅgā (on the Gaṅgā)
• गङ्गायाम्: Adhikarana (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: गङ्गा (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन

• ब्रह्मज्ञानस्य: of knowledge of Brahman
• ब्रह्मज्ञानस्य: Shashthi-Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मज्ञान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (ब्रह्म + ज्ञान)

• कारणम्: cause
• कारणम्: Pradhana (Predicate nominal)
• Type: Noun
• Root: कारण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa often Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Gaṅgā-tīra-vāsa (Kāśī)

Type: ghat

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A quiet hermitage-like dwelling on a Kāśī ghāṭa: a seeker lives simply, watching Gaṅgā flow; the river’s shimmer transforms into a subtle vision of Brahman—form dissolving into luminous stillness.

Characters & Entities

• Gaṅgā
• Aṣṭāṅga-yoga
• Brahma-jñāna
• Adhvara (yajña)

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred residence (vāsa) by Gaṅgā is celebrated as a powerful catalyst for Brahman-realization, even beyond demanding disciplines.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Gaṅgā and specifically gaṅgā-vāsa (dwelling near the river).

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The implied prescription is gaṅgāyāṃ vāsa—taking up residence at Gaṅgā as a spiritual discipline.