Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 98
तारकत्वं समागच्छ गच्छाति स्वच्छमानस । दिवोदासो वृषावासो यामधीष्टे वरां पुरीम्
tārakatvaṃ samāgaccha gacchāti svacchamānasa | divodāso vṛṣāvāso yāmadhīṣṭe varāṃ purīm
«Parviens à l’état de Tāraka, sauveur et guide ; avance avec l’esprit purifié. Cette cité excellente que gouverne Divodāsa—Vṛṣāvāsa—…»
Skanda (deduced from Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue context; verse appears as quoted instruction within the narrative)
Tirtha: Vārāṇasī (Kāśī)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and sages
Scene: Śiva instructs a gaṇa: ‘Become tāraka; go with a clear mind’—a moment of commissioning. In the background, a stylized vision of the ‘excellent city’ with ramparts, ghats, and temples, ruled by Divodāsa.
FAQs
Approaching Kāśī requires inner purity; the sacred city is portrayed as governed under divinely significant rulership, guiding beings toward deliverance.
The “excellent city” is Kāśī/Vārāṇasī, discussed in connection with Divodāsa.
An inner discipline is implied—go with a purified mind—rather than a specific external rite.