Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 18
सर्वपाषंडधर्मज्ञः कदाचिद्ब्रह्मवाद्यभूत् । ऐंद्रजालिक आसीच्च कदाचिद्भ्रामयञ्जनान्
sarvapāṣaṃḍadharmajñaḥ kadācidbrahmavādyabhūt | aiṃdrajālika āsīcca kadācidbhrāmayañjanān
Mitunter wurde er zum Kenner der Lehren aller häretischen Sekten; mitunter gab er sich als Verkünder des Brahman aus, als erhabener Theologe. Und bisweilen war er ein Illusionist, der die Menschen durch Zauberkünste verwirrte.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśī Khaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya ṛṣis
Scene: A charismatic wanderer in Kāśī shifts guises—now a sectarian disputant, now a lofty brahmavādin, now a street illusionist—drawing a ring of onlookers near a ghat, while true sādhus watch with quiet concern.
FAQs
Eloquence, sectarian learning, or ‘miracles’ can mislead; true dharma is recognized by integrity and right conduct.
Kāśī, depicted as a spiritual arena where truth must be distinguished from deception.
None; the focus is on the ethical-spiritual need for discernment.