Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 78
तावत्कालस्तया साध्व्या महान्विघ्नोऽनुमीयते । निमेषांतरितः कालो यो यो व्यथोंगतो मम । लिंगानवेक्षणात्तत्र प्रायश्चित्तं कथं भवेत
tāvatkālastayā sādhvyā mahānvighno'numīyate | nimeṣāṃtaritaḥ kālo yo yo vyathoṃgato mama | liṃgānavekṣaṇāttatra prāyaścittaṃ kathaṃ bhaveta
Pour cette raison même, la sainte femme tenait même ce court instant pour un grand empêchement : «Quel que soit le moment qui s’est écoulé pour moi—fût-ce l’intervalle d’un clignement—sans contempler le liṅga, comment pourrait-il y avoir expiation pour cela ?»
Skanda (deduced for Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative; verse contains her inner speech)
Tirtha: Avimukta-Kāśī (liṅga-darśana context)
Type: kshetra
Scene: The sādhvī, still before the liṅga, appears inwardly distressed at the idea of even a blink’s separation; her hands folded, eyes wide, as if pleading for uninterrupted communion.
FAQs
The text idealizes relentless devotion: separation from Śiva—even for an instant—is felt as spiritual loss.
Kāśī is the implied site; liṅga-darśana within Kāśī is treated as supremely meritorious.
No formal rite is prescribed; the verse introduces prāyaścitta as a concept, while emphasizing uninterrupted liṅga-darśana.