Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 17
यथैंद्रजालिकीं दृष्ट्वा मायामिह विचक्षणः । क्षणेन मोहमायाति काशीं वीक्ष्य तथैव तौ
yathaiṃdrajālikīṃ dṛṣṭvā māyāmiha vicakṣaṇaḥ | kṣaṇena mohamāyāti kāśīṃ vīkṣya tathaiva tau
Wie selbst ein kluger Mensch, wenn er die Täuschung eines Zauberers sieht, im Nu in Verblendung gerät, so wurden auch jene beiden, als sie Kāśī erblickten, sogleich vom Wahn ergriffen.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration, commonly Skanda to Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis
Scene: A visual metaphor: Kāśī appears like a divine magician’s spectacle—radiant ghats, swirling crowds, shimmering temples—causing two powerful beings to stagger into sudden moha.
FAQs
Even sharp intellect can be overcome by māyā; sacred places can intensify inner states, demanding vigilance and devotion.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), whose presence is depicted as uniquely powerful and mind-altering.
None; the verse is a psychological-spiritual observation about moha arising from encounter with Kāśī.