Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 84
सीमाबहिर्गतमपि ज्ञेयं तीर्थमिदं शुभम् । मध्ये वाराणसि श्रेष्ठं मम सान्निध्यतो नरैः
sīmābahirgatamapi jñeyaṃ tīrthamidaṃ śubham | madhye vārāṇasi śreṣṭhaṃ mama sānnidhyato naraiḥ
Aunque se halle más allá del límite, este lugar auspicioso debe ser conocido como un tīrtha. Pero en el corazón mismo de Vārāṇasī es supremo para los hombres, por Mi presencia especial allí.
Śiva (inferred from ‘mama sānnidhyataḥ’—self-referential divine presence; within Kāśī context Śiva often speaks through Skanda’s narration)
Tirtha: Vṛṣadhvaja-tīrtha
Type: ghat
Listener: Humans/pilgrims (naraiḥ) and the broader audience; also continuous address to pitṛs in the passage
Scene: A map-like sacred vision: Kāśī’s boundary line shown faintly, while the tīrtha glows at the center with a visible aura of divine presence, drawing pilgrims inward.
FAQs
A tīrtha’s sanctity is not limited by human boundaries; the highest holiness is where the Lord’s presence is most intimate.
Kāśī/Vārāṇasī itself—especially the ‘madhya’ (central) sacred zone where divine presence is declared supreme.
No explicit rite; it instructs recognition (jñeya) of the tīrtha and implies pilgrimage, reverence, and sacred bathing/visitation.