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

تمام حالتوں اور تعینات سے پاک کھیتَرَجْنَ کو برہمن میں رکھ دے۔ یہی دھیان ہے، یہی یوگ ہے؛ اس کے سوا سب محض گرنتھوں کی تفصیل ہے۔

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.