Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 52
अर्धक्रोशान्तरान्मध्ये ब्रह्महत्या न संविशेत् । सोमनाथप्रभावोऽयं वाराणस्याः समः स्मृतः
ardhakrośāntarānmadhye brahmahatyā na saṃviśet | somanāthaprabhāvo'yaṃ vārāṇasyāḥ samaḥ smṛtaḥ
«Dans l’étendue d’un demi-krośa, le péché du meurtre d’un brāhmaṇa ne peut pénétrer. Telle est la puissance de Somanātha, tenue pour égale à celle de Vārāṇasī.»
Kanyā (the maiden)
Tirtha: Somanātha
Type: kshetra
Listener: Sages (frame implied)
Scene: An invisible sacred circle is implied around Somanātha; dark personified brahmahatyā halts at the boundary while the inner space glows like Kāśī.
FAQs
Certain Śaiva holy zones are portrayed as spiritually inviolable—purity is safeguarded by the deity’s presence and the tīrtha’s inherent power.
Somanātha’s sacred sphere (within half a krośa), explicitly compared in merit and protection to Vārāṇasī (Kāśī).
A sacred boundary is defined (ardha-krośa); the implied practice is to enter/abide within that holy radius for purification.