Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 20
एवं विप्र कृतौ मोहात्परस्परजयैषिणौ । पप्रच्छतुः प्रमाणज्ञानागमांश्चतुरोपि तौ
evaṃ vipra kṛtau mohātparasparajayaiṣiṇau | papracchatuḥ pramāṇajñānāgamāṃścaturopi tau
وهكذا، أيها البرهمن، إنّ ذينك الاثنين—وقد أضلّهما الوهمُ وتنافسا على الغلبة—سألا السلطاتِ الأربع: وسائلَ المعرفة الصحيحة، والمعرفةَ الحقّة، والتقاليدَ المقدّسة الموروثة.
Narrator (addressing a brāhmaṇa listener within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (typical frame)
Scene: Two personified ritual powers (Vidhi and Kratu) in disputation, turning to four personified authorities/Śrutis for adjudication; a scholastic assembly atmosphere within a Kāśī setting.
FAQs
Spiritual disputes should be settled through recognized authorities—valid knowledge, authentic understanding, and scriptural tradition—rather than ego-driven rivalry.
None directly; the verse is part of Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s didactic narrative set in Kāśī.
None; it concerns epistemic authority (pramāṇa/āgama), not ritual action.