Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 120
ब्रह्महत्यादि पापानि यस्या नाम्नोपि कीर्तनात् । त्यजंति पापिनं काशी सा केनेहोपमीयते
brahmahatyādi pāpāni yasyā nāmnopi kīrtanāt | tyajaṃti pāpinaṃ kāśī sā kenehopamīyate
Même les fautes les plus graves, telles que le meurtre d’un brahmane, quittent le pécheur au seul chant de son Nom : telle est Kāśī. À quoi, en ce monde, la comparer ?
Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and ṛṣis (contextual)
Scene: Person burdened by dark ‘sin’ shadows chants ‘Kāśī’; the shadows dissolve into light over the cityscape—ghāṭs, temples, and a radiant aura around the kṣetra.
FAQs
Kāśī’s sanctity is so great that even uttering her name is said to dissolve the heaviest sins.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), portrayed as uniquely incomparable among all sacred places.
Kīrtana (chanting/reciting) of the name ‘Kāśī’ is highlighted as a potent spiritual act.