Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 36
त्वया च शक्तिमानस्मि महदैश्वर्यरक्षणे । त्वां च शक्तिं समासाद्य स्वलीलारूपधारिणीम्
tvayā ca śaktimānasmi mahadaiśvaryarakṣaṇe | tvāṃ ca śaktiṃ samāsādya svalīlārūpadhāriṇīm
তোমার দ্বারা আমি মহৎ ঐশ্বর্য রক্ষায় শক্তিমান হই; আর তোমাকে—নিজ লীলায় রূপ ধারণকারী স্বয়ং শক্তিকে—প্রাপ্ত হয়ে।
Śiva (Śambhu)
Tirtha: Avimukta-kṣetra (Kāśī)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Pilgrim-audience / interlocutor in Kāśī-khaṇḍa frame (traditionally Śaunaka/ṛṣis in Purāṇic setting)
Scene: Śiva addresses Śakti with intimate reverence, acknowledging that his capacity to guard great sovereignty arises through her; the setting evokes Kāśī’s sanctity—temple silhouettes, Gaṅgā glow, and a metaphysical aura of līlā.
FAQs
Śiva’s cosmic function is inseparable from Śakti; divine power and divine consciousness operate together.
Within the Kāśī Khaṇḍa setting, Kāśī is implied as the place where the unity of Śiva–Śakti is taught and celebrated.
None directly; it conveys doctrine: worship of Śiva is fulfilled through honoring Śakti as his power.