Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 170
इदानीं दिश मे तात कर्मनिर्मूलनक्षमम् । उपायं त्वमुपायज्ञ येन निर्वृतिमाप्नुयाम्
idānīṃ diśa me tāta karmanirmūlanakṣamam | upāyaṃ tvamupāyajña yena nirvṛtimāpnuyām
À présent, cher père, indique-moi un moyen capable d’arracher le karma jusqu’à sa racine. Toi qui es expert en upāya, par lui puissé-je obtenir la paix et la délivrance.
Skanda (deduced; Kāśī-khaṇḍa often Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and sages (typical frame; not stated in verse)
Scene: A seeker (possibly the king) kneels before an elder ‘father-like’ guru, hands folded, asking for the uprooting means; background: quiet ghat at dawn, a small Śiva shrine, and the Gaṅgā flowing—suggesting inner stillness and the quest for release.
FAQs
Liberation requires an effective upāya that cuts karma at the root, sought through humble inquiry and guidance.
The verse belongs to Kāśī-khaṇḍa’s Kāśī-centered discourse, though it is framed as a mokṣa-oriented request rather than explicit site praise.
No specific rite is named; it asks for a liberating method (upāya), often fulfilled in context by teachings on japa, vrata, tīrtha, or devotion.