Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 55
कः कलिकोथवा कालः का जरा किं च दुष्कृतम् । का रुजः केंतराया वा श्रिता वाराणसी यदि
kaḥ kalikothavā kālaḥ kā jarā kiṃ ca duṣkṛtam | kā rujaḥ keṃtarāyā vā śritā vārāṇasī yadi
Si l’on a pris refuge à Vārāṇasī, quel pouvoir Kali peut-il avoir, ou même le Temps ? Qu’est-ce alors que la vieillesse, et qu’est-ce que le péché ? Que sont la maladie et les entraves, si Kāśī est vraiment son abri ?
Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue context often Skanda to Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), Avimukta-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: Assemblage of sages/seekers (Kāśī-māhātmya audience)
Scene: A devotee stands fearlessly within Kāśī’s sacred precincts as shadowy figures of Kali, Time, disease, and obstacles recoil at the boundary marked by Śiva’s presence; Viśveśvara’s liṅga radiates protective light; Gaṅgā and ghāṭas frame the city.
FAQs
Taking refuge in Kāśī is portrayed as a supreme protection where sin, decay, and worldly impediments lose their force before the sanctity of the sacred kṣetra.
Vārāṇasī—also called Kāśī—the foremost Śaiva kṣetra associated with Viśveśvara.
No specific rite is prescribed here; the emphasis is on śaraṇāgati—taking refuge in Kāśī as a spiritual stance.