स्थितोपि भगवनीशो मंदरं चारुकंदरम् । काशीं विना रतिं नाऽप दिवोदासनृपोषिताम्
sthitopi bhagavanīśo maṃdaraṃ cārukaṃdaram | kāśīṃ vinā ratiṃ nā'pa divodāsanṛpoṣitām
Obwohl der selige Herr auf Mandara mit seinen lieblichen Höhlen weilte, fand er ohne Kāśī keine Wonne, obgleich sie damals von König Divodāsa behütet wurde.
Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue context often Skanda to Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra; Viśveśvara)
Type: kshetra
Listener: null
Scene: Śiva seated amid Mandara’s charming caves, yet his gaze and heart turn toward Kāśī; a subtle aura or vision of Viśveśvara-linga and Gaṅgā-ghāṭas appears as the true object of longing, while Divodāsa’s royal presence is hinted in the background as the current custodian of the city.
Kāśī is depicted as uniquely dear to Śiva—so much so that even divine abodes cannot replace its spiritual attraction.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), contrasted with Mandara mountain to highlight Kāśī’s unsurpassed sanctity.
None directly; the verse sets narrative context for the Divodāsa episode and Kāśī’s supremacy.