Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 67
अथ सर्वगतः शंभुर्ज्ञात्वा तस्याशयं हरः । दैत्यस्य दुष्टरूपस्य वधाय विदधे धियम्
atha sarvagataḥ śaṃbhurjñātvā tasyāśayaṃ haraḥ | daityasya duṣṭarūpasya vadhāya vidadhe dhiyam
Entonces Śambhu, Hara que todo lo penetra, al conocer su intención, dispuso su pensamiento para dar muerte a aquel Daitya de forma perversa, a fin de salvaguardar el santo dominio.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa discourse commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Pilgrimage-inquirer audience (ṛṣi/śaunaka-style recipients typical of Purāṇic frame; specific interlocutors not explicit in the verse)
Scene: Within the sanctified precincts of Kāśī, Śambhu perceives the demon’s intent and inwardly forms a decisive plan to destroy the wicked daitya to safeguard the holy realm.
FAQs
Śiva, who knows the inner intention of all, actively intervenes to remove adharma and protect the sacred order and devotees.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) in the Kāśīkhaṇḍa context, where Śiva’s protective presence is celebrated through local liṅga-mahātmya.
No explicit rite is stated in this verse; it sets the narrative basis for later praise and requests for protection at the sacred spot.