Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

आसनं प्राणसंरोधः प्रत्याहारश्च धारणा । ध्यानं समाधिरेतानि योगांगानि भवंति षट्

Transliteration

āsanaṃ prāṇasaṃrodhaḥ pratyāhāraśca dhāraṇā | dhyānaṃ samādhiretāni yogāṃgāni bhavaṃti ṣaṭ

Translation

坐法（āsana）、制气（prāṇa-saṃrodha）、摄诸根（pratyāhāra）、持心（dhāraṇā）、禅观（dhyāna）与三摩地（samādhi）——此六者即瑜伽之六支。

Word by Word

• आसनम्: posture
• आसनम्: कर्ता (List item/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: आसन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• प्राणसंरोधः: restraint of breath
• प्राणसंरोधः: कर्ता (List item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्राण (प्रातिपदिक) + संरोध (प्रातिपदिक; सम्-√रुध् + घञ्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (प्राणस्य संरोधः)

• प्रत्याहारः: withdrawal (of senses)
• प्रत्याहारः: कर्ता (List item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रत्याहार (प्रातिपदिक; प्रति-आ-√हृ + घञ्)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• च: and
• च: सम्बन्ध (Conjunction)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चयार्थक अव्यय (conjunction)

• धारणा: concentration
• धारणा: कर्ता (List item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: धारणा (प्रातिपदिक; √धृ + युच्/णा)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• ध्यानम्: meditation
• ध्यानम्: कर्ता (List item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ध्यान (प्रातिपदिक; √ध्यै + ल्युट्)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• समाधिः: samādhi/absorption
• समाधिः: कर्ता (List item)
• Type: Noun
• Root: समाधि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• एतानि: these
• एतानि: कर्ता (Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: एतद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; सर्वनाम

• योगाङ्गानि: limbs of yoga
• योगाङ्गानि: विधेय (Predicate noun)
• Type: Noun
• Root: योग (प्रातिपदिक) + अङ्ग (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), बहुवचन; समासः—तत्पुरुषः (योगस्य अङ्गानि)

• भवन्ति: are
• भवन्ति: क्रिया (Verb)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √भू (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present indicative), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपद

• षट्: six
• षट्: संख्या-विशेषण (Numerical predicate)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: षट् (संख्या-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययवत् संख्या; नपुंसकलिङ्गे प्रथमा बहुवचनार्थे (indeclinable numeral used predicatively)

Speaker

Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Kāśī (yoga-upadeśa within kṣetra)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: seekers/ṛṣis (contextual)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A sequential tableau (six panels) showing the yogin’s progression: seat → breath control → senses withdrawing like turtles → focused gaze → deep meditation → radiant stillness of samādhi.

Characters & Entities

• Āsana
• Prāṇasaṃrodha
• Pratyāhāra
• Dhāraṇā
• Dhyāna
• Samādhi

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Yoga is a structured sixfold discipline culminating in samādhi.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

As a Kāśīkhaṇḍa passage, it supports Kāśī’s identity as a mokṣa-kṣetra where complete yogic practice is taught.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

The verse prescribes the yoga-method itself: practice the six limbs—āsana through samādhi.