Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 13
यदि काशीपुरी तुल्या भवेदस्या क्वचित्पुरी । तदा स्वर्गतरंगिण्याः साम्यमन्या नदी लभेत्
yadi kāśīpurī tulyā bhavedasyā kvacitpurī | tadā svargataraṃgiṇyāḥ sāmyamanyā nadī labhet
If there were anywhere some city equal to this Kāśī, then another river might attain equality with Gaṅgā, the bearer of heavenly waves.
Brahmā (continuing the reply; climaxing in Kāśī’s uniqueness)
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra and Gaṅgā (Svargataraṅgiṇī)
Type: kshetra
Listener: null
Scene: A poetic tableau: Kāśī’s skyline of temples and ghāṭas beside the luminous Gaṅgā, portrayed as a celestial river whose waves carry heaven’s radiance; other rivers and cities appear faint, acknowledging inferiority.
FAQs
Kāśī is portrayed as uniquely sanctifying; its greatness is beyond ordinary equivalence.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is directly glorified, alongside Gaṅgā as the heavenly river.
No direct prescription; the verse establishes the doctrinal supremacy of Kāśī as a sacred city.