शशकैर्मशकैः काश्यां यत्पदं हेलयाप्यते । तत्पदं नाप्यतेऽन्यत्र योगयुक्त्यापि योगिभिः
śaśakairmaśakaiḥ kāśyāṃ yatpadaṃ helayāpyate | tatpadaṃ nāpyate'nyatra yogayuktyāpi yogibhiḥ
Cette demeure spirituelle qu’à Kāśī l’on atteint même avec désinvolture, fût-ce par les êtres les plus infimes, n’est atteinte nulle part ailleurs, même par les yogins au moyen des disciplines du yoga.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Tiny creatures (hare, mosquito) near a Kāśī ghāṭa step touch the sacred ground; a luminous path rises from the kṣetra. In the distance, austere yogins in forests strive yet remain outside that radiance.
In a supreme tīrtha like Kāśī, divine grace linked to sacred geography can surpass even arduous yogic striving elsewhere.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), presented as uniquely potent for attaining the highest spiritual state.
No direct ritual is prescribed; the verse contrasts effortless attainment in Kāśī with rigorous yogic discipline elsewhere.