Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 54
इमां स्तुतिं नरो जप्त्वा परं नियतमानसः । मानसैरपि पापैस्तैर्नाभिभूयेत कर्हिचित्
imāṃ stutiṃ naro japtvā paraṃ niyatamānasaḥ | mānasairapi pāpaistairnābhibhūyeta karhicit
जो पुरुष अत्यंत संयत मनाने ही स्तुती जपतो, तो मनातून उत्पन्न होणाऱ्या पापांनीही तो कधी पराभूत होत नाही.
Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue context)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Ḍhuṃḍhi-stotra discipline)
Type: kshetra
Listener: disciplined reciter (niyata-manas)
Scene: A devotee chants steadily; within a haloed mind-space, dark thought-forms dissolve into clear light, symbolizing victory over manasa-pāpa.
FAQs
Inner discipline joined to devotion purifies even the subtle realm of thought, preventing sin from taking hold.
The verse belongs to the Kāśī-kṣetra narrative, where hymns and japa gain special sanctifying power.
Japa of the stuti with niyata-mānasa—focused, regulated mental attention.