Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 89
यत्रेभाः परिभांत्यष्टौ यत्राष्टौ जविनो हयाः । मनः संयमनं यत्र कशापाणि व्यवस्थितम्
yatrebhāḥ paribhāṃtyaṣṭau yatrāṣṭau javino hayāḥ | manaḥ saṃyamanaṃ yatra kaśāpāṇi vyavasthitam
Là où huit éléphants se tiennent resplendissants, là où se trouvent huit chevaux rapides ; là où la maîtrise de l’esprit est établie et où le fouet demeure prêt en main.
Nandīkeśvara (continuation)
Tirtha: Kāśī (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: (Implied) attendants/gaṇas; narrative audience
Scene: A resplendent divine chariot flanked by eight elephants and eight swift horses; a central figure holds a whip poised—not in violence but as symbol of disciplined control; subtle aura suggests the mind being restrained like a well-trained team.
FAQs
Outer power (elephants, horses) is sanctified only when joined with inner mastery—restraint of the mind.
Still within the Kāśī sacred setting; the ‘where…where…’ phrases describe identifying marks of the auspicious locus in the narrative.
No direct ritual; it highlights mental discipline (manaḥ-saṃyama) as a necessary spiritual preparation.