Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 158
असिसंभेद योगेन काशीसंस्थोऽमृतो भवेत् । देहत्यागोऽत्र वै दानं देहत्यागोत्र वै तपः
asisaṃbheda yogena kāśīsaṃstho'mṛto bhavet | dehatyāgo'tra vai dānaṃ dehatyāgotra vai tapaḥ
অসিসম্ভেদ নামৰ যোগে, কাশীত অৱস্থিত জন অমৃত হয়। ইয়াত দেহত্যাগেই দান; ইয়াত দেহত্যাগেই তপস্যা।
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Agastya (Kalaśaja)
Scene: A serene Kāśī scene at the ghats: an aged yogin in meditation, subtle sword-like light (asi) cutting bonds; Śiva’s compassionate presence indicates liberation; the act of deha-tyāga is shown symbolically as a lotus releasing a petal, not violence.
FAQs
Kāśī is taught as a mokṣa-kṣetra where liberation is uniquely accessible; even death there is sanctified as supreme spiritual offering.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as the preeminent mokṣa-kṣetra.
Implicitly, residence in Kāśī and adherence to the liberating discipline termed Asisaṃbheda-yoga; the verse also frames dehatyāga in Kāśī as the highest dāna and tapas.