Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 79
श्रुतिस्मृतिविहीना ये शौचाचारविवर्जिताः । येषां क्वापि गतिर्नास्ति तेषां वाराणसी गतिः
śrutismṛtivihīnā ye śaucācāravivarjitāḥ | yeṣāṃ kvāpi gatirnāsti teṣāṃ vārāṇasī gatiḥ
Ceux qui sont privés de la direction de la Śruti et de la Smṛti, ceux qui manquent de pureté et de juste conduite—ceux qui n’ont nulle part où aller : pour eux, Vārāṇasī est le refuge.
Unspecified in snippet (quoted saying; Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame tradition: Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Vārāṇasī / Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A confused pilgrim without scriptural guidance stands at a ghāṭ; a compassionate priest points toward the temple and the river, symbolizing a path from disorder to śauca and ācāra.
FAQs
Even those who have fallen from dharmic guidance are not excluded—Kāśī is praised as a place of restoration and refuge.
Vārāṇasī (Kāśī).
No specific rite is stated; the verse emphasizes the sanctifying power of Kāśī itself.