Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

दुर्निवारा मनोवृत्तिर्यावत्सा न निवर्तते । किं वदंत्यपियोगस्य तावन्नेदीयसी कुतः

Transliteration

durnivārā manovṛttiryāvatsā na nivartate | kiṃ vadaṃtyapiyogasya tāvannedīyasī kutaḥ

Translation

നിയന്ത്രിക്കാൻ ദുഷ്കരമായ മനോവൃത്തികൾ ശമിക്കാത്തിടത്തോളം യോഗത്തെക്കുറിച്ച് ആരെന്തു പറയും? അതുവരെ യോഗം എങ്ങനെ സമീപമാകും?

Word by Word

• दुर्निवारा: hard to restrain
• दुर्निवारा: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject qualifier/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुर्निवार (प्रातिपदिक; दुर्- + निवार)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; मनोवृत्तिः इत्यस्य विशेषणम् (nominative singular feminine)

• मनोवृत्तिः: mental modification/mental activity
• मनोवृत्तिः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनोवृत्ति (प्रातिपदिक; मनस् + वृत्ति)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (nominative singular feminine)

• यावत्: as long as
• यावत्: Sambandha-bodhaka (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; यावदर्थक (correlative particle: ‘as long as’)

• सा: it (that)
• सा: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन (pronoun; nominative singular feminine)

• न: not
• न: Pratiṣedha (Negation/निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; निषेध (negation)

• निवर्तते: ceases, turns back
• निवर्तते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वृत् (धातु) (नि-उपसर्ग)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन (returns/ceases)

• किम्: what? / why?
• किम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: किम् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/द्वितीया), एकवचन; प्रश्नार्थक (interrogative; accusative singular neuter; used adverbially ‘why/what’)

• वदन्ति: they speak
• वदन्ति: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √वद् (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन (they say)

• अपि: even
• अपि: Samuccaya (Addition/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अप्यर्थ (even/also)

• योगस्य: of yoga
• योगस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), एकवचन (genitive singular masculine)

• तावत्: so long
• तावत्: Sambandha-bodhaka (Correlative/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तावत् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; तावदर्थक (correlative: ‘so long/that much’)

• नेदीयसी: nearer
• नेदीयसी: Karta-samānādhikaraṇa (Subject complement/समानााधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नेदीयस् (प्रातिपदिक; न + ईयस्-तद्धित, comparative)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन; तुलनात्मक-विशेषण (comparative adjective: ‘nearer’; nominative singular feminine)

• कुतः: how (could it be)? / from where?
• कुतः: Hetu-prashna (Interrogative of reason/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: कुतस् (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; प्रश्नार्थक (interrogative adverb: ‘whence/how’)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A yogin sits steady while swirling dark and bright thought-forms circle around; gradually they dissolve into a clear sky-like mind, with Kāśī’s riverbank faintly behind.

Characters & Entities

• Manas
• Vṛtti
• Yoga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Yoga becomes ‘near’ only when mental turbulence subsides; mastery of the mind is foundational.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Within Kāśīkhaṇḍa, Kāśī is the sacred setting for liberation teachings that emphasize inner stillness over mere externals.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No explicit rite; it implies meditative restraint and withdrawal of mind-waves (manovṛtti-nirodha).