Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 40
सर्वेषामूषराणां तु काशी परम ऊषरः । वप्तुर्बीजमिदं तस्मिन्नुप्तं नैव प्ररोहति
sarveṣāmūṣarāṇāṃ tu kāśī parama ūṣaraḥ | vapturbījamidaṃ tasminnuptaṃ naiva prarohati
Parmi toutes les terres stériles, Kāśī est la plus stérile ; là, la semence semée par le semeur du karma ne germe jamais.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī (karma-bīja-kṣaya kṣetra)
Type: kshetra
Listener: null
Scene: A farmer-like figure symbolizing the ‘sower’ of karma casts seeds onto Kāśī’s ground; the soil is radiant and crystalline, and the seeds dissolve into light without sprouting; Śiva’s unseen presence sanctifies the scene, with Gaṅgā and ghats nearby.
FAQs
Kāśī is portrayed as spiritually ‘barren’ for bondage: karmic seeds fail to germinate, pointing to liberation.
Kāśī-kṣetra, uniquely described as preventing the fruition of karma that perpetuates saṃsāra.
None directly; the verse uses agricultural metaphor to proclaim Kāśī’s mokṣa-bestowing nature.