Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 38
अंतरात्मा ह्ययं साक्षान्निश्चितो ह्याशुशुक्षणिः । मांसग्रासान्पचेत्कुक्षौ स्त्रीणां नो मांसपेशिकाम्
aṃtarātmā hyayaṃ sākṣānniścito hyāśuśukṣaṇiḥ | māṃsagrāsānpacetkukṣau strīṇāṃ no māṃsapeśikām
Dieser Agni ist wahrlich das offenbarte innere Selbst und der unmittelbare Zeuge, der rasch verzehrt. Im Bauch gart er Fleischbissen, doch nicht den „Fleischklumpen“ der Frauen.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Antarāgni / Agni as sākṣin (conceptual tīrtha within Kāśī teaching)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Two-layer composition: outer—Agni blazing as sacred fire; inner—within a human silhouette, a subtle flame at the navel/heart representing antarāgni, with an all-seeing eye motif for sākṣin; a protective gesture toward women, indicating prohibition of harm.
FAQs
Agni is invoked as the inner witness and moral force, emphasizing restraint and protection against grave harm—especially toward women and unborn life.
The verse sits within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī-centered teaching, though it functions primarily as ethical instruction rather than site-description.
No specific rite is prescribed; the verse uses the metaphor of ‘cooking/digesting’ to set an ethical prohibition and uphold dharma.