Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 51

Devanagari script

वृत्तिहीनं मनः कृत्वा क्षेत्रज्ञे परमात्मनि । एकीकृत्य विमुच्येत योगयुक्तः स उच्यते

Transliteration

vṛttihīnaṃ manaḥ kṛtvā kṣetrajñe paramātmani | ekīkṛtya vimucyeta yogayuktaḥ sa ucyate

Translation

മനസ്സിനെ വൃത്തിരഹിതമാക്കി, ക്ഷേത്രജ്ഞനായ പരമാത്മാവിൽ ഏകീകരിച്ചാൽ വിമുക്തി ലഭിക്കുന്നു; അത്തരം വ്യക്തി ‘യോഗയുക്തൻ’ എന്നു വിളിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു.

Word by Word

• वृत्तिहीनम्: devoid of mental modifications
• वृत्तिहीनम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वृत्ति + हीन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1/2), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (neuter, nominative/accusative singular; adjective)

• मनः: the mind
• मनः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन (neuter, accusative singular)

• कृत्वा: having made
• कृत्वा: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/absolutive), पूर्वकाल (having done)

• क्षेत्रज्ञे: in the knower of the field (Self)
• क्षेत्रज्ञे: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्रज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन (masculine, locative singular)

• परमात्मनि: in the Supreme Self
• परमात्मनि: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: परम + आत्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन (masculine, locative singular)

• एकीकृत्य: having unified
• एकीकृत्य: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Verb
• Root: एकी + कृ (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund), पूर्वकाल (having unified/made one)

• विमुच्येत: should be released/liberated
• विमुच्येत: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + मुच् (धातु)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपद (optative, 3rd person singular, middle)

• योगयुक्तः: yoga-endowed/absorbed in yoga
• योगयुक्तः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: योग + युक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (masculine, nominative singular; adjective)

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (masculine, nominative singular; pronoun)

• उच्यते: is said/called
• उच्यते: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive) (present, 3rd person singular, passive)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (typal)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A yogin seated in stillness on a Kāśī ghat at dawn, the Ganga flowing quietly; the mind’s waves depicted as calming ripples merging into a luminous inner Self.

Characters & Entities

• Kṣetrajña
• Paramātman
• Yoga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Liberation arises when the mind becomes fluctuation-free and is merged in the Supreme Self (Kṣetrajña/Paramātman).

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The teaching belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa (Varanasi/Kāśī context), emphasizing Kāśī as a seat of mokṣa-oriented yoga and knowledge.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No external rite is specified; the prescription is inner discipline—stilling mental vṛttis and one-pointed absorption in the Self.