Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 43
साक्षिण्य एता किलकाशिदेवताः शृण्वंतु न स्वार्थमहं व्रजाम्यतः । अभ्यर्थितो देवगणैः करो मि किं परोपकाराय न किं विधीयते
sākṣiṇya etā kilakāśidevatāḥ śṛṇvaṃtu na svārthamahaṃ vrajāmyataḥ | abhyarthito devagaṇaiḥ karo mi kiṃ paropakārāya na kiṃ vidhīyate
Que ces divinités de Kāśī entendent et témoignent : je ne pars pas pour mon propre avantage. Sollicité par les cohortes des dieux, que dois-je faire ? Pour le bien d’autrui, y a-t-il quelque chose qu’il ne faille entreprendre ?
Agastya (deduced from immediate narrative context of Adhyāya 5)
Tirtha: Kāśī (devatā-sākṣitva)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A sage stands in Kāśī with hands raised in solemn declaration; subtle divine presences (kṣetra-devatās) hover as luminous forms above ghāṭas and shrines, witnessing his vow of selfless departure for others’ benefit.
FAQs
True dharma prioritizes paropakāra—acting for the welfare of others—even when it requires personal sacrifice.
Kāśī, portrayed as a living sacred realm with its own witnessing deities.
No specific rite; it frames ethical obligation (dharma) as superior to personal preference.