Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 42
न केवलं हि पापेभ्यो वाराणस्यां विमुच्यते । प्राकृतेभ्योपि पापेभ्यो मुच्यते शंकराज्ञया
na kevalaṃ hi pāpebhyo vārāṇasyāṃ vimucyate | prākṛtebhyopi pāpebhyo mucyate śaṃkarājñayā
À Vārāṇasī, on n’est pas délivré seulement des péchés ; par l’ordre de Śaṅkara, on est libéré même des souillures et défauts ordinaires, innés.
Kṛṣṇa
Tirtha: Vārāṇasī / Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Kṛṣṇa (immediate addressee in the episode)
Scene: A contemplative vision of Kāśī as Avimukta: Śiva’s unseen command dissolves layers of impurity around a pilgrim, with the Gaṅgā and temple spires in the background.
FAQs
Kāśī’s grace is not merely moral cleansing; it is Śiva’s direct dispensation that removes deep-seated impurities.
Vārāṇasī (Kāśī), under the special sovereignty (ājñā) of Śaṅkara.
No explicit rite; the verse emphasizes the salvific power of dwelling/arriving in Vārāṇasī by Śiva’s ordinance.