Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 63
ब्राह्मणः क्षत्रियो वैश्यः शूद्रो वा यदि वेतरः । विष्णुभक्ति समायुक्तो ज्ञेयः सर्वोत्तमश्च सः
brāhmaṇaḥ kṣatriyo vaiśyaḥ śūdro vā yadi vetaraḥ | viṣṇubhakti samāyukto jñeyaḥ sarvottamaśca saḥ
سواء كان براهمنًا أو كشاتريا أو فايشيا أو شودرا، أو من منزلة أخرى؛ فمن اتّحدت نفسه بمحبة التعبّد لفيشنو فليُعرَف أنه الأفضل بين الجميع.
Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda to Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Scene: A mixed group—brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, and others—stand together in devotion before Viṣṇu; the deity’s gaze equalizes all, with a halo encircling the group as one community of bhaktas.
FAQs
Devotion to Viṣṇu is presented as the supreme criterion of spiritual excellence, surpassing social classifications.
No specific site is named; the verse states a general dharmic principle within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa discourse.
No single rite is prescribed; the prescription is to cultivate viṣṇu-bhakti (devotion to Viṣṇu).