Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 53

Devanagari script

सर्वभावविनिर्मुक्तं क्षेत्रज्ञं ब्रह्मणि न्यसेत् । एतद्ध्यानं च योगश्च शेषोन्यो ग्रंथविस्तरः

Transliteration

sarvabhāvavinirmuktaṃ kṣetrajñaṃ brahmaṇi nyaset | etaddhyānaṃ ca yogaśca śeṣonyo graṃthavistaraḥ

Translation

സകല ഭാവബന്ധനങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നു വിമുക്തനായ ക്ഷേത്രജ്ഞനെ ബ്രഹ്മത്തിൽ ന്യസിക്കണം; ഇതുതന്നെ ധ്യാനം, ഇതുതന്നെ യോഗം—മറ്റെല്ലാം ഗ്രന്ഥവിസ്താരമാത്രം.

Word by Word

• सर्वभावविनिर्मुक्तम्: freed from all states/conditions
• सर्वभावविनिर्मुक्तम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व + भाव + विनिर्मुक्त (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (masculine, accusative singular; adjective)

• क्षेत्रज्ञम्: the knower of the field (Self)
• क्षेत्रज्ञम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षेत्रज्ञ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2), एकवचन (masculine, accusative singular)

• ब्रह्मणि: in Brahman
• ब्रह्मणि: Adhikaraṇa (Locative/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ब्रह्मन् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7), एकवचन (neuter, locative singular)

• न्यसेत्: should place/establish
• न्यसेत्: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि + अस्/स्य (धातु: न्यस्)
• Form: विधिलिङ् (optative), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद (optative, 3rd person singular, active)

• एतत्: this
• एतत्: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषणम्/सर्वनाम (neuter, nominative singular; demonstrative)

• ध्यानम्: meditation
• ध्यानम्: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ध्यान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (neuter, nominative singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• योगः: yoga
• योगः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (masculine, nominative singular)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-निपात (conjunction)

• शेषः: the remainder
• शेषः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (masculine, nominative singular)

• अन्यः: other
• अन्यः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier/विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन; विशेषणम् (masculine, nominative singular; adjective)

• ग्रन्थविस्तरः: elaboration of the text
• ग्रन्थविस्तरः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ग्रन्थ + विस्तार (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1), एकवचन (masculine, nominative singular)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Ṛṣis/pilgrims seeking the ‘sāra’ of dharma

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A teacher-sage in Kāśī points to a vast, formless radiance; scrolls and books lie aside, while the seeker’s awareness dissolves into an infinite Brahman-light above the Ganga.

Characters & Entities

• Kṣetrajña
• Brahman
• Dhyāna
• Yoga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

The essence of yoga is establishing the purified inner knower (kṣetrajña) in Brahman; everything else is secondary explanation.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The verse occurs in Kāśīkhaṇḍa, aligning Kāśī’s glory with direct Brahman-meditation as the sure path to liberation.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A meditative prescription: relinquish all mental ‘bhāvas’ and establish awareness in Brahman.