Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 97
काश्यां धर्मस्तच्चतुष्पादरूपः काश्यामर्थः सोप्यने कप्रकारः । काश्यां कामः सर्वसौख्यैकभूमिः काश्यां श्रेयस्तत्तु किंनात्र यच्च
kāśyāṃ dharmastaccatuṣpādarūpaḥ kāśyāmarthaḥ sopyane kaprakāraḥ | kāśyāṃ kāmaḥ sarvasaukhyaikabhūmiḥ kāśyāṃ śreyastattu kiṃnātra yacca
À Kāśī, le Dharma se tient ferme dans sa forme aux quatre pieds ; à Kāśī, l’Artha s’obtient de multiples façons. À Kāśī, le Kāma trouve un seul terrain de toute félicité ; et à Kāśī réside le Bien suprême lui-même—quelle excellence ne s’y trouve donc pas ?
Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue context)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: Naimiṣāraṇya sages
Scene: Personified puruṣārthas standing in Kāśī: Dharma as a four-legged bull, Artha as a many-handed giver, Kāma as a gentle spring of joy, and Śreyas as a radiant ascetic light above them, with Viśveśvara’s presence sanctifying all.
FAQs
Kāśī is extolled as the rare place where all human goals—ethical life, prosperity, enjoyment, and liberation—reach fulfillment.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as the supreme kṣetra where the puruṣārthas are perfected.
No specific rite is prescribed here; the emphasis is on Kāśī’s inherent power as a sacred field (kṣetra) for attaining the puruṣārthas.