Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 37
प्रागानंदवने तत्र शिवयो रममाणयोः । इच्छेत्यभूत्कलशज सृज्यः कोप्यपरः किल
prāgānaṃdavane tatra śivayo ramamāṇayoḥ | icchetyabhūtkalaśaja sṛjyaḥ kopyaparaḥ kila
পূর্বে আনন্দবনে, শিব ও শক্তি যখন সেখানে ক্রীড়ারত ছিলেন, তখন হে কলশজ (অগস্ত্য)! ‘আরও কিছু সৃষ্টি হোক’—এমন একমাত্র ইচ্ছা জাগ্রত হয়েছিল।
Skanda
Tirtha: Ānandavana (within Avimukta/Kāśī)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Agastya (Kalaśaja)
Scene: In the luminous grove of Ānandavana, Śiva and Śakti sit in intimate delight; from their serene play arises a subtle ripple of intention, hinting at a new manifestation to be brought forth, while sages and celestial beings sense the shift in the sacred air.
FAQs
Sacred tīrthas arise from the divine will within Kāśī; the geography is presented as a manifestation of Śiva-Śakti’s līlā.
Ānandavana in Kāśī, as the setting for the emergence of the Maṇikarṇikā narrative.
None; it is a mythic prelude describing the divine intention behind sacred manifestation.