Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 14
भवांतरा वर्जित पुण्यराशिं कृच्छैर्महद्भिर्ह्यवगम् यकाशीम् । प्राप्यापि किं मूढधियोन्यतो वै यियासवो दुर्गतिमुद्यियासवः
bhavāṃtarā varjita puṇyarāśiṃ kṛcchairmahadbhirhyavagam yakāśīm | prāpyāpi kiṃ mūḍhadhiyonyato vai yiyāsavo durgatimudyiyāsavaḥ
كاشي كنزٌ من البرّ لا يُترك عبر حيواتٍ كثيرة، ولا تُنال إلا بمشاقّ عظيمة. فإذا نالها المرء، فلماذا يرغب بليدُ العقل في الذهاب إلى غيرها، كأنه يتسابق إلى الشقاء؟
Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A pilgrim stands at a ghat with travel bundle, hesitating to depart; a wise figure points toward the temple spire, while shadowy figures on a distant road symbolize ‘durgati’.
FAQs
What is gained through immense merit and struggle should be protected; abandoning Kāśī is portrayed as choosing spiritual decline.
Kāśī, praised as a hard-won refuge across lifetimes.
No specific rite; the emphasis is on perseverance, merit, and steadfastness in sacred geography.