Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 63
आनुसूयेय ते ज्ञानं काशीस्तवन पुण्यतः । यथेदानीं समुत्पन्नं तथा न तपसः पुरा
ānusūyeya te jñānaṃ kāśīstavana puṇyataḥ | yathedānīṃ samutpannaṃ tathā na tapasaḥ purā
হে অনসূয়াপুত্র! কাশী-স্তবনের পুণ্যপ্রভাবে তোমার মধ্যে যে জ্ঞান এখন উদিত হয়েছে, তেমন জ্ঞান পূর্বে কেবল তপস্যা দ্বারা কখনও জন্মায়নি।
Śiva (addressing Durvāsas, son of Anasūyā)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Ānandakānana/Avimukta)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Anasūyā’s son (a sage addressed as muni/tāpasa)
Scene: A sage addressed as Anasūyā’s son receives a sudden dawning of knowledge while the luminous city-forest of Kāśī/Ānandakānana glows behind, suggesting that the kṣetra itself bestows insight.
FAQs
Merit gained by glorifying a sacred kṣetra like Kāśī can awaken higher knowledge more effectively than austerity alone.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), whose stavana generates puṇya and jñāna.
Kāśī-stavana (reciting praise of Kāśī) is highlighted as a meritorious practice.