Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 50

Devanagari script

सर्वसंगविनिर्मुक्ता निर्मुक्ता निष्परिग्रहाः । वाङ्मनःकर्मदंडाढ्या यतयो यत्र निःस्पृहाः

Transliteration

sarvasaṃgavinirmuktā nirmuktā niṣparigrahāḥ | vāṅmanaḥkarmadaṃḍāḍhyā yatayo yatra niḥspṛhāḥ

Translation

அங்கே யதிகள் எல்லாப் பற்றுகளிலிருந்தும் விடுபட்டோர், சொத்தற்றோர், முழு வைராக்யத்தினர்; வாக்கு-மனம்-செயல் ஆகியவற்றின் தண்டநியமத்திலேயே செல்வமுடையோர், முற்றிலும் நிஸ்ப்ருஹர்.

Word by Word

• sarva-saṅga-vinirmuktāḥ: freed from all attachments
• sarva-saṅga-vinirmuktāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + saṅga (प्रातिपदिक) + vinirmukta (कृदन्त; वि-निर्मुच् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कृदन्त-विशेषण (क्त/क्तवत्-प्रत्ययार्थः), ‘विनिर्मुक्त’ = freed

• nirmuktāḥ: liberated
• nirmuktāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nirmukta (कृदन्त; निर्-मुच् धातु)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; कृदन्त-विशेषण (क्त)

• niṣ-parigrahāḥ: without possessions
• niṣ-parigrahāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niṣ (उपसर्ग/निपात) + parigraha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; नञ्/निषेधार्थ-तत्पुरुषः—‘परिग्रहः न अस्ति’

• vāk-manaḥ-karma-daṇḍa-āḍhyāḥ: endowed with restraint of speech, mind, and action
• vāk-manaḥ-karma-daṇḍa-āḍhyāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: vāk (प्रातिपदिक) + manas (प्रातिपदिक) + karma (प्रातिपदिक) + daṇḍa (प्रातिपदिक) + āḍhya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; समासः—वाक्-मनः-कर्म- (त्रयाणां) दण्डः यस्य/येषां ते; ‘आढ्य’ = endowed

• yatayaḥ: ascetics
• yatayaḥ: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक-अव्यय (locative adverb)

• niḥ-spṛhāḥ: desireless
• niḥ-spṛhāḥ: Viśeṣaṇa (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: niḥ (उपसर्ग/निपात) + spṛhā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), बहुवचन; निषेधार्थ-तत्पुरुषः—‘स्पृहा न अस्ति’

Speaker

Skanda

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: ṛṣis/śaunaka-ādi (frame tradition)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A serene Kāśī riverside āśrama: ascetics with minimal belongings, seated in meditation, some reciting softly, others walking mindfully; the atmosphere is quiet, luminous, and disciplined.

Characters & Entities

• Divodāsa

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

True renunciation is inner restraint and freedom from clinging, not mere outward abandonment.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

Kāśī’s renown as a liberating sacred region is echoed through the presence of genuine renunciants.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

No ritual is detailed; the verse praises the ascetic discipline of speech, mind, and action.