Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 240
अग्निश्चेति च मंत्रेण विधायाचमने सुधीः । पश्चिमास्यो जपेत्तावद्यावन्नक्षत्रदर्शनम्
agniśceti ca maṃtreṇa vidhāyācamane sudhīḥ | paścimāsyo japettāvadyāvannakṣatradarśanam
Nachdem der Weise das ācamana mit dem Mantra, das mit „Agniś ca…“ beginnt, vollzogen hat, soll er westwärts gewandt Japa sprechen, bis die Sterne sichtbar werden.
Skanda (contextual, Kāśīkhaṇḍa discourse)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Gaṅgā-ghāṭas)
Type: ghat
Listener: Kumbhaja (Agastya)
Scene: A pilgrim at a Kāśī ghat performs ācamana, then sits facing west as the sun sets; the sky deepens and the first stars appear while japa continues, with lamps beginning to glow along the riverbank.
FAQs
Purification (ācamana) and disciplined mantra-japa, aligned with time and direction, are upheld as steady daily dharma.
The instruction belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī-setting, where correct daily observance is praised as especially meritorious.
Perform ācamana using the ‘Agniś ca…’ mantra, then face west and do japa until the stars appear.