Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 48
यत्र धर्मे महेशो न प्रथमं परिपूज्यते । नैरृतं संगृहीत्वान्यः केशेष्वातो्ल्यचासकृत्
yatra dharme maheśo na prathamaṃ paripūjyate | nairṛtaṃ saṃgṛhītvānyaḥ keśeṣvāto्lyacāsakṛt
«Là où, au nom du dharma, Maheśa n’est pas honoré le premier, il n’y a point de dharma véritable !» Ainsi, un autre saisit Nairṛta, le traîna par les cheveux et le frappa à maintes reprises.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Pilgrims/ṛṣis seeking kṣetra-niyama
Scene: A gaṇa proclaims the rule of dharma—Śiva must be worshipped first—while dragging Nairṛta by the hair and striking him, driving away inauspicious forces from the sacred precincts of Kāśī.
FAQs
True dharma begins with honoring Maheśvara first; any ‘righteous’ act that sidelines Śiva is spiritually inverted.
The verse is doctrinal rather than geographic; it reinforces the Śiva-centric ethos that undergirds Kāśī’s sacred identity.
Implied rule of precedence: worship of Maheśa should be performed first in dhārmic rites (yajña/pujā contexts).