Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 99
आत्मार्थं नोद्यमश्चायं हृत्स्थो वेत्तीति विश्वगः । मातुर्दास्यविमोक्षाय यतेहममृतं प्रति
ātmārthaṃ nodyamaścāyaṃ hṛtstho vettīti viśvagaḥ | māturdāsyavimokṣāya yatehamamṛtaṃ prati
Dieses Bemühen gilt nicht meinem eigenen Vorteil — der Allgegenwärtige, der im Herzen wohnt, weiß es. Zum Amṛta strebe ich nur, um meine Mutter aus der Knechtschaft zu befreien.
Garuḍa (within Skanda’s narration)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: Kāśīkhaṇḍa interlocutor(s) seeking māhātmya and dharma
Scene: Garuḍa declares his endeavor is not self-serving; the all-pervading indweller knows his heart. The focus is on the inner witness and the compassionate aim to liberate Vinatā from bondage.
FAQs
Selfless intention (niṣkāma-bhāva) sanctifies difficult action; God-in-the-heart witnesses motive, not merely outcome.
Kāśī remains the overarching frame of the Kāśī Khaṇḍa, but this verse is ethical/theological rather than geographical.
None; it teaches inner dharma—purity of intention and duty toward one’s mother.