Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 30
जरानिकटनिक्षिप्ता बाधंते व्याधयो भृशम् । तथापि देहो नानेहो नाहो काशीं समीहते
jarānikaṭanikṣiptā bādhaṃte vyādhayo bhṛśam | tathāpi deho nāneho nāho kāśīṃ samīhate
إذا دنت الشيخوخةُ اشتدّت الأسقامُ وألحّت إلحاحًا شديدًا؛ ومع ذلك لا ييأس هذا الجسد ولا ينوح ما دام يتوق إلى كاشي.
Skanda (deduced; Kāśī-khaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)
Type: kshetra
Listener: null
Scene: An aged pilgrim afflicted with disease sits supported near a Kāśī ghat, eyes steady and uplifted toward a distant Viśvanātha spire; the Ganga flows calmly, suggesting inner resolve despite bodily pain.
FAQs
Longing for Kāśī sustains the devotee with courage and hope even amid old age and illness.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), the supreme Śaiva sacred region celebrated throughout the Kāśī-khaṇḍa.
No specific ritual is prescribed here; the emphasis is on steadfast aspiration toward Kāśī.