Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 9
प्राणितव्येऽत्र को हेतुर्मच्छिशोरुपजंघनेः । क्षेत्राद्बहिरहिर्यं हि दष्टा नैषीत्परासु ताम्
prāṇitavye'tra ko heturmacchiśorupajaṃghaneḥ | kṣetrādbahirahiryaṃ hi daṣṭā naiṣītparāsu tām
«Quelle peut être la cause pour que la vie se maintienne ici, alors que mon enfant Upajaṅghani a été mordu à la jambe ? Car hors de ce kṣetra sacré, la morsure d’un serpent l’aurait sûrement conduit à la mort.»
Skanda (deduced Kāśīkhaṇḍa narrative voice; describing the muni’s words within the dialogue to Agastya)
Tirtha: Avimukta/Kāśī-kṣetra (contextual)
Type: kshetra
Listener: null
Scene: A worried parent/sage in Kāśī holds or looks at a child bitten on the leg; the kṣetra’s unseen protective aura is implied, with ghāṭa silhouettes and temple spires in the background; a serpent retreats into shadow.
FAQs
The verse highlights the extraordinary protective grace attributed to a sacred kṣetra—within holy space, destiny itself is said to be softened by divine presence.
The wider sanctity of Kāśī-kṣetra is implied—its precinct is portrayed as uniquely protective compared to places outside it.
No explicit ritual is prescribed here; the emphasis is on the kṣetra’s innate spiritual potency.