Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 41
यदा प्रभृति सा गौरी निर्गता मम सद्मतः । मन्ये मेने तदारभ्य पद्मसद्मा विनिर्ययौ
yadā prabhṛti sā gaurī nirgatā mama sadmataḥ | manye mene tadārabhya padmasadmā viniryayau
From the very moment that Gaurī departed from my dwelling, I have felt that, from then onward, the lotus-abode of my heart and happiness has itself gone forth, emptied by her absence.
Skanda (contextual attribution: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Agastya
Scene: Śiva in a quiet inner chamber, the heart-lotus motif suggested by a lotus throne left vacant; the atmosphere is dim, with a sense of emptiness after Gaurī’s departure.
FAQs
It portrays viraha (holy separation) as a purifier of devotion—love for the Divine becomes most intense when one feels the pain of distance.
The broader setting is Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) in the Kāśī-khaṇḍa, though this verse itself focuses on devotional emotion rather than naming a specific tīrtha.
No explicit ritual is prescribed in this verse; it is a narrative-psychological reflection on separation from Gaurī.