Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 50
यो धर्मपीठं प्रतिलभ्य काश्यां स्वश्रेयसे नो यततेऽत्र मर्त्यः । कथं स धर्मत्वमिवातितेजाः करिष्यति स्वं कृतकृत्यमेव । त्वया यथाप्ता इह धर्मराज मनोरथास्ते गुरुभिस्तपोभिः । तथैव धर्मेश्वरभक्तिभाजां कामाः फलिष्यंति न संशयोत्र
yo dharmapīṭhaṃ pratilabhya kāśyāṃ svaśreyase no yatate'tra martyaḥ | kathaṃ sa dharmatvamivātitejāḥ kariṣyati svaṃ kṛtakṛtyameva | tvayā yathāptā iha dharmarāja manorathāste gurubhistapobhiḥ | tathaiva dharmeśvarabhaktibhājāṃ kāmāḥ phaliṣyaṃti na saṃśayotra
Wer als Sterblicher Kāśī erreicht hat—den eigentlichen Sitz des Dharma—und sich hier nicht um sein höchstes Heil bemüht, wie sollte er sein wahres Ziel vollenden, als könne er durch bloßen Glanz gar „Dharma-Sein“ erlangen? O Dharmarāja, wie du hier durch mächtige Askese (tapas) deine Herzenswünsche erlangtest, so werden auch die Wünsche der Dharmeśvara-Ergebenen gewiss Frucht tragen—daran besteht kein Zweifel.
Śiva (deduced, addressing Dharmarāja/Dharma)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Dharma-pīṭha) with Dharmeśvara focus
Type: kshetra
Listener: Dharma (Dharmarāja)
Scene: Śiva admonishes that one who reaches Kāśī yet fails to strive for highest good wastes the Dharma-seat; Dharmarāja is recalled performing great tapas and attaining aims; devotees of Dharmeśvara are promised certain fruition.
FAQs
Having reached Kāśī, one should actively pursue spiritual welfare; devotion to Dharmeśvara is assured to fructify, as demonstrated by Dharmarāja’s tapas.
Kāśī itself is praised as the ‘Dharma-pīṭha’ (seat of Dharma), with Dharmeśvara as its empowering deity.
Tapas (austerity) and dharmeśvara-bhakti (devotional worship) are upheld as the means for attaining desired ends.