Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 40
परापवादो न मया किलोक्तः परापकारोपि मया कृतो न । परस्वबुद्धिः परदारबुद्धिः कृता मया नात्र क एष पाकः
parāpavādo na mayā kiloktaḥ parāpakāropi mayā kṛto na | parasvabuddhiḥ paradārabuddhiḥ kṛtā mayā nātra ka eṣa pākaḥ
Ich habe keinen anderen verleumdet und keinem Schaden zugefügt. Ich begehrte weder fremden Reichtum noch die Gattin eines anderen. Was ist dies also für eine Folge, die mich hier getroffen hat?
A devotee/sage presenting a moral self-defense before the sacred jurisdiction of Kāśī
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (ethical mirror)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A pilgrim sits on a ghāṭ step at dusk, counting misdeeds on fingers, looking toward a shrine; the atmosphere is introspective—lamps flicker, Gaṅgā flows, and the question ‘what is this vipāka?’ hangs in the air.
FAQs
Ethical purity is foundational; the devotee examines conduct and karma when facing suffering or exclusion in a sacred domain.
Kāśī is implied as the “here” where karmic and dharmic fitness is scrutinized under the kṣetra’s spiritual order.
None; it lists core dharmic restraints—non-slander, non-harm, non-coveting wealth, and fidelity—as qualifications for spiritual life.