Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 55

Devanagari script

निमेषार्धप्रमाणं च कालं तिष्ठति निश्चलः । तत्र यस्तेन वै योगः समभ्यस्तः समाः शतम्

Transliteration

nimeṣārdhapramāṇaṃ ca kālaṃ tiṣṭhati niścalaḥ | tatra yastena vai yogaḥ samabhyastaḥ samāḥ śatam

Translation

जो तेथे अर्ध निमेषाइतका काळही निश्चल उभा राहतो, त्यानेच तेथील योगाभ्यास अन्यत्रच्या शंभर वर्षांच्या साधनेसमान होतो.

Word by Word

• निमेषार्धप्रमाणम्: a measure of half a blink
• निमेषार्धप्रमाणम्: Karma (Measure/object of duration)
• Type: Noun
• Root: निमेष + अर्ध + प्रमाण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुष (निमेषस्य अर्धं प्रमाणम्)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयबोधक-अव्यय (conjunction)

• कालम्: time
• कालम्: Karma (Object/extent of time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तिष्ठति: stands / remains
• तिष्ठति: Kriya (Action)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √स्था (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• निश्चलः: motionless
• निश्चलः: Karta (Subject/agent described)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निश्चल (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikarana (Location)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तत्र (अव्यय)
• Form: देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• यः: who
• यः: Karta (Subject of relative clause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्ध-प्रत्यय (relative pronoun)

• तेन: by that / with that
• तेन: Karana (Instrument/means)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/नपुंसक, तृतीया-विभक्ति (Instrumental), एकवचन

• वै: indeed
• वै: Sambandha (Particle)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै (अव्यय)
• Form: निपात (emphatic particle)

• योगः: yoga
• योगः: Karta (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• समभ्यस्तः: well-practised
• समभ्यस्तः: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier of yogaḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम् + अभि + √अस्/अभ्यस् (धातु) + क्त (कृदन्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; भूतकर्मणि कृदन्त (practised)

• समाः: years
• समाः: Karma (Extent of time)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (Accusative), बहुवचन (Plural)

• शतम्: a hundred
• शतम्: Visheshana (Numerical qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचन; संख्यावाचक (numeral)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, addressing Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Nirvāṇa/Mukti-maṇḍapa precinct (as the efficacious spot)

Type: kshetra

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A devotee stands or sits perfectly motionless in the sacred pavilion; time seems suspended as the invisible potency of the kṣetra transforms half a blink of stillness into a century of yoga.

Characters & Entities

• Kāśī
• Yoga

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Sacred geography magnifies spiritual effort: even a moment of steadiness in Kāśī yields extraordinary yogic fruit.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The mandapa/seat described in this adhyāya within Kāśī, where stillness itself becomes highly meritorious.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

A meditative discipline: remain steady and motionless (niścala) even briefly at that sacred spot.