Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 86
यथैव चर्ममुंडैषा महारुंडापि तादृशी । एतावानेव भेदोस्या रुंडस्रग्भूषणात्वियम्
yathaiva carmamuṃḍaiṣā mahāruṃḍāpi tādṛśī | etāvāneva bhedosyā ruṃḍasragbhūṣaṇātviyam
De même que celle-ci est Carmamuṇḍā, de même Mahāruṇḍā est de nature semblable ; telle est l’unique différence : elle est parée d’une guirlande de têtes tranchées.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)
Tirtha: Mahāruṇḍā (paired with Carmamuṇḍā)
Type: kshetra
Scene: Two fierce Devīs shown side-by-side: Carmamuṇḍā with skull garland/skin attire; Mahāruṇḍā similar but marked distinctly by a garland of severed heads (ruṇḍa-srag) as the key differentiator.
FAQs
The same protective Śakti manifests in multiple forms; differences in iconography point to distinct roles while preserving one protective purpose.
Kāśī-kṣetra’s guardian tradition; the verse introduces Mahāruṇḍā as another protector associated with Kāśī tīrthas.
None explicitly; it clarifies identification between two Devī-forms.