Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 40
नाद्यापि स बहिर्गच्छेन्नाद्याप्याशा प्रयाति नः । इत्यास्महे निराधारा आशापाश नियंत्रिताः
nādyāpi sa bahirgacchennādyāpyāśā prayāti naḥ | ityāsmahe nirādhārā āśāpāśa niyaṃtritāḥ
Mais jusqu’à présent il ne sort pas, et jusqu’à présent notre espérance ne s’en va pas. Ainsi demeurons-nous sans appui, retenus par le nœud de l’espérance.
Preta (a departed spirit), speaking to a sage within Skanda’s Kāśī narrative frame
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: tapasvin
Scene: Pilgrims sit or stand with hollowed eyes and clasped hands, as if tethered by an invisible rope; the ‘noose of hope’ is symbolized by a faint cord-like motif around the heart or wrists, while a sage listens in silence.
FAQs
Hope itself can become bondage for negative forces; Kāśī’s sanctity leaves them powerless, clinging only to expectation.
Kāśī/Varāṇasī is the implied sacred space that keeps such forces outside and ineffective.
None explicitly; the verse underscores inner discipline—remaining within sanctity and dharma so ‘sins’ find no opening.