Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 14
भवांतरा वर्जित पुण्यराशिं कृच्छैर्महद्भिर्ह्यवगम् यकाशीम् । प्राप्यापि किं मूढधियोन्यतो वै यियासवो दुर्गतिमुद्यियासवः
bhavāṃtarā varjita puṇyarāśiṃ kṛcchairmahadbhirhyavagam yakāśīm | prāpyāpi kiṃ mūḍhadhiyonyato vai yiyāsavo durgatimudyiyāsavaḥ
Kāśī est un trésor de mérite que l’on ne délaisse pas même au fil de nombreuses vies, et qu’on n’atteint qu’au prix de grandes épreuves. L’ayant obtenue, pourquoi l’esprit obtus voudrait-il aller ailleurs, comme avide de courir vers l’infortune ?
Skanda (deduced; Kāśīkhaṇḍa frame commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A pilgrim stands at a ghat with travel bundle, hesitating to depart; a wise figure points toward the temple spire, while shadowy figures on a distant road symbolize ‘durgati’.
FAQs
What is gained through immense merit and struggle should be protected; abandoning Kāśī is portrayed as choosing spiritual decline.
Kāśī, praised as a hard-won refuge across lifetimes.
No specific rite; the emphasis is on perseverance, merit, and steadfastness in sacred geography.