Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 3
न कापिलेन योगेन न सांख्येन न च व्रतैः । या गतिः प्राप्यते पुंभिस्तां दद्यान्मोक्षभूरियम्
na kāpilena yogena na sāṃkhyena na ca vrataiḥ | yā gatiḥ prāpyate puṃbhistāṃ dadyānmokṣabhūriyam
കാപിലയോഗം കൊണ്ടുമല്ല, സാംഖ്യം കൊണ്ടുമല്ല, വ്രതങ്ങൾ കൊണ്ടുമല്ല—പുരുഷന്മാർ ദുഷ്കരമായി പ്രാപിക്കുന്ന ആ പരമഗതിയെ ഈ മോക്ഷഭൂമി തന്നേ ദാനം ചെയ്യുന്നു।
Skanda (deduced; Adhyāya context)
Tirtha: Mokṣa-bhūmi Kāśī (with Maṇikarṇikā as emblem)
Type: kshetra
Scene: An allegorical scene: on one side ascetics practicing Kapila’s sāṅkhya and yogins in austerity; on the other, the luminous ‘mokṣa-bhūmi’ of Kāśī radiating grace, drawing seekers effortlessly toward liberation.
FAQs
The tīrtha’s grace is exalted: Kāśī’s mokṣa-kṣetra power can grant the highest end beyond ordinary disciplines.
The mokṣa-bhū (liberation-ground) of Kāśī, contextually centered on Maṇikarṇikā.
The verse contrasts common paths (yoga, sāṃkhya, vratas) rather than prescribing a new rite; it highlights the place’s salvific potency.