Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 47
अन्यानि काललक्ष्माणि तिष्ठंतु कलशोद्भव । जरैव प्रथमं लक्ष्म चित्रं तत्रापि भीर्नहि
anyāni kālalakṣmāṇi tiṣṭhaṃtu kalaśodbhava | jaraiva prathamaṃ lakṣma citraṃ tatrāpi bhīrnahi
Que les autres signes du temps demeurent, ô Né-du-Vase ; la vieillesse seule est la première marque, la plus éminente. Et pourtant, chose étrange, même alors les hommes n’éprouvent point de crainte.
Skanda (deduced; direct address to Agastya, kalaśodbhava)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: Agastya (kalśodbhava)
Scene: A sage addressing ‘Kalashodbhava’ (Agastya): behind them, a crowd ignores an elderly figure leaning on a staff; time’s emblems (withered leaves, setting sun) remain, but jarā stands foremost—yet the crowd shows no fear.
FAQs
Old age is an obvious warning of time’s power, yet people remain heedless; therefore one should awaken to dharma and liberation.
Kāśī is the broader Adhyāya’s focal sacred geography, though not named in this single verse.
No explicit ritual is prescribed; the verse is admonitory, preparing the listener for Kāśī-centered practice.