Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 39
कृपणोपि वदान्यः स्याद्वदान्यः कृपणो यदि । प्रकृतेर्विकृतिश्चेत्स्यात्तदा पंचत्वमृच्छति
kṛpaṇopi vadānyaḥ syādvadānyaḥ kṛpaṇo yadi | prakṛtervikṛtiścetsyāttadā paṃcatvamṛcchati
Si aun el avaro se vuelve generoso, o el generoso se torna avaro—si ocurre tal deformación de la propia naturaleza—entonces se llega al pañcatva, la disolución en los cinco elementos (la muerte).
Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: Kāśī-mahātmya audience
Scene: A split-panel allegory: on one side a miser suddenly gives away wealth; on the other a generous man clutches coins—both under the shadow of the five elements reclaiming the body (earth-water-fire-air-ether motifs) and a cremation-ghāṭ horizon.
FAQs
A sudden reversal in one’s moral tendencies is treated as a serious sign; therefore one should stabilize the mind in dharma and seek the highest refuge in Śiva.
The broader Kāśīkhaṇḍa context points to Kāśī as the sacred geography where liberation is made accessible through Viśveśvara.
No explicit rite is stated; the verse identifies an inner sign (character inversion) to prompt immediate spiritual discipline.