Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 86
आलस्येनापि यो यायाद्गृहाद्विश्वेश्वरालयम् । अश्वमेधाधिको धर्मस्तस्य स्याच्च पदेपदे
ālasyenāpi yo yāyādgṛhādviśveśvarālayam | aśvamedhādhiko dharmastasya syācca padepade
Even if, out of mere laziness, one goes from home to the temple of Viśveśvara, for him dharma arises at every step—greater even than the merit of an Aśvamedha sacrifice.
Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Viśveśvara (Viśvanātha) darśana in Kāśī
Type: temple
Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer audience (ṛṣi interlocutors, contextual)
Scene: A devotee leaving home reluctantly, yet the street itself becomes a sacred path; each footprint blossoms into lotuses of light leading to the towering Viśveśvara shrine, with bells and lamps welcoming him.
FAQs
In Kāśī, even a simple, imperfectly motivated movement toward Śiva yields immense merit due to the power of the kṣetra.
Viśveśvara’s temple/abode in Kāśī, the central Śaiva sanctuary of Vārāṇasī.
Going from one’s home to Viśveśvara’s shrine (a basic pilgrimage act), with merit accruing step by step.