Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 102
इदं वरुणलोकस्य स्वरूपं ते निरूपितम् । यच्छ्रुत्वा न नरः क्वापि दुरपायैः प्रबाध्यते
idaṃ varuṇalokasya svarūpaṃ te nirūpitam | yacchrutvā na naraḥ kvāpi durapāyaiḥ prabādhyate
Ainsi t’a été exposée la nature du monde de Varuṇa. En l’entendant, nul homme n’est, où que ce soit, accablé par de funestes malheurs.
Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa discourse typically Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Varuṇeśvara/Vāruṇī māhātmya (as the heard account)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Interlocutor receiving the explanation (‘te nirūpitam’)
Scene: A teacher narrates Varuṇa-loka’s splendor to attentive listeners; above them, a visionary tableau of Varuṇa’s realm—watery palaces, makara banners—while dark clouds of misfortune disperse.
FAQs
Śravaṇa (reverent hearing) of sacred tīrtha-lore is itself meritorious and protective, reflecting Purāṇic dharma’s emphasis on listening as a sādhana.
The teaching belongs to the Kāśī context, centered on Varuṇeśvara and the Varuṇa-associated sacred geography.
Śravaṇa—listening to the māhātmya—is presented as the efficacious act.