Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 14
ज्योतिश्चक्रे समस्तेऽस्मिन्नग्रगण्या भविष्यथ । मेषादीनां च राशीनां योनयो यूयमुत्तमाः
jyotiścakre samaste'sminnagragaṇyā bhaviṣyatha | meṣādīnāṃ ca rāśīnāṃ yonayo yūyamuttamāḥ
In diesem ganzen Rad des himmlischen Lichtes werdet ihr zu den Vordersten gezählt werden; und unter den Tierkreiszeichen, beginnend mit dem Widder, werdet ihr die erhabenen Schoße sein — Quellen und Ursprungsmatrizen, aus denen sie hervorgehen.
Bhagavad-gaṇas (Śiva’s attendants), addressing the Nakṣatras (star-deities)
Scene: A luminous celestial wheel (jyotiścakra) with zodiac signs emerging from radiant womb-like matrices, while Kāśī’s Śaiva aura subtly anchors the vision—suggesting a sacred city mirrored in the heavens.
FAQs
Cosmic order is sacred: the star-powers are honored as foremost principles within the divine design of the universe.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), in the context of the Nakṣatreśvara-liṅga’s greatness within the Kāśīkhaṇḍa.
No direct ritual is prescribed in this verse; it establishes the exalted status of the nakṣatras as a basis for their worship.