Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 78
संसार भयभीताय ये ये बद्धाः कर्मबंधनैः । येषां क्वापि गतिर्नास्ति तेषां वाराणसी गतिः
saṃsāra bhayabhītāya ye ye baddhāḥ karmabaṃdhanaiḥ | yeṣāṃ kvāpi gatirnāsti teṣāṃ vārāṇasī gatiḥ
Die, die vor Saṃsāra erzittern, die von den Fesseln des Karma gebunden sind—die nirgends Zuflucht finden: für sie ist Vārāṇasī die Zuflucht.
Unspecified in snippet (quoted saying; Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame tradition: Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Vārāṇasī / Kāśī (Avimukta)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A pilgrim haunted by the wheel of births sees chains (karma-bandhana) dissolve as he steps onto Kāśī’s ghāṭs; above, Śiva’s presence is felt as a calm, moonlit assurance.
FAQs
Kāśī is praised as a mokṣa-leaning refuge where karmic bondage and fear of saṃsāra are met with divine support.
Vārāṇasī (Kāśī).
No explicit ritual; the verse highlights the soteriological (liberation) promise associated with Kāśī.