Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 86
रागादिदोषपरिपूर मनो हृषीकाः काशीपुरीमतुलदिव्यमहाप्रभावाम् । ये कल्पयंत्यपरतीर्थसमां समंतात्ते पापिनो न सह तैः परिभाषणीयम्
rāgādidoṣaparipūra mano hṛṣīkāḥ kāśīpurīmatuladivyamahāprabhāvām | ye kalpayaṃtyaparatīrthasamāṃ samaṃtātte pāpino na saha taiḥ paribhāṣaṇīyam
Ceux dont l’esprit et les sens sont remplis de défauts tels que l’attachement, et qui, de toutes parts, imaginent que la cité de Kāśī—d’une puissance grande, divine et sans égale—n’est que l’égale d’autres tīrthas, ceux-là sont des pécheurs ; il ne convient même pas de converser avec eux.
Skanda (deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa context: Skanda to Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Pilgrims/seekers within Kāśī-māhātmya discourse
Scene: Two groups at Kāśī: reverent pilgrims offering water and prayers, and a skeptical, sense-driven group gesturing dismissively; a sage turns away, indicating ‘do not converse’ with those who belittle the kṣetra.
FAQs
Do not diminish the unique sanctity of Kāśī by equating it with ordinary tīrthas; reverence for sacred geography is part of Purāṇic dharma.
Kāśīpurī—Kāśī (Vārāṇasī)—is praised as possessing incomparable, divine, great spiritual power.
No specific rite (snāna, dāna, japa, vrata) is prescribed here; the instruction is ethical: avoid association and even conversation with those who disparage Kāśī’s greatness.