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
Just as even a discerning person, on seeing a magician’s illusion, is swiftly drawn into bewilderment, so too those two, upon beholding Kāśī, fell at once into delusion.
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.