Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 43
नारण्यसंश्रयाद्योगो न नानाग्रंथ चिंतनात् । न दानैर्न व्रतैर्वापि न तपोभिर्न वा मखैः
nāraṇyasaṃśrayādyogo na nānāgraṃtha ciṃtanāt | na dānairna vratairvāpi na tapobhirna vā makhaiḥ
Yoga không đạt được chỉ nhờ nương náu rừng sâu, cũng không nhờ suy tưởng vô số kinh sách. Lại chẳng do bố thí, chẳng do trì giới nguyện (vrata), chẳng do khổ hạnh (tapas), cũng chẳng do tế lễ (yajña).
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: Pilgrims/seekers (contextual)
Scene: Contrasting vignettes: a hermit in a forest, a scholar surrounded by many books, a donor at a ritual, an ascetic in austerity, and a sacrificer at a fire—each shown as incomplete; central figure turns inward in meditation, indicating the true attainment of yoga.
FAQs
External renunciation, scholarship, and ritual merit are insufficient by themselves; yoga requires inner transformation.
Within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame, the teaching supports Kāśī’s reputation as a place where inner realization is paramount.
It explicitly states that dāna, vrata, tapas, and yajña alone do not confer yoga-siddhi.