Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 10
आवश्येषु सदोद्युक्ता ये जाता यत्रकुत्रचित् । सर्वभोगसमृद्धास्ते वसंत्यत्र पुरोत्तमे
āvaśyeṣu sadodyuktā ye jātā yatrakutracit | sarvabhogasamṛddhāste vasaṃtyatra purottame
Wer immer eifrig in den notwendigen Pflichten ist, wo immer er auch geboren sei, wird mit allen Genüssen reich gesegnet und wohnt hier, in dieser höchst vortrefflichen Stadt.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Purottamā)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Purāṇic audience
Scene: A panoramic view of Kāśī: prosperous households, temples, and ghats; among them a diligent devotee performing daily duties—sweeping a shrine, offering lamps, serving guests—symbolizing ‘āvaśyaka’ diligence leading to abundance and residence in the holy city.
FAQs
Birth is secondary to conduct; diligence in duty leads to prosperity and the grace of residence in sacred Kāśī.
Kāśī, praised as purottama, the foremost city.
Not a specific ritual; it emphasizes steady performance of obligatory duties (āvaśya-karma).