Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 30
पुरः पुरारेः कायार्थमनिवेद्येह तिष्ठतः । यत्पापं भावि मे तस्य काशीपापस्यनिष्कृतिः
puraḥ purāreḥ kāyārthamanivedyeha tiṣṭhataḥ | yatpāpaṃ bhāvi me tasya kāśīpāpasyaniṣkṛtiḥ
અહીં રહીને જો હું પુરારી (શિવ)ની સમક્ષ તેમના કાર્યવિષયનું નિવેદન ન કરું, તો તેથી મને જે પાપ લાગશે—તે પાપની નિષ્કૃતિ સ્વયં કાશી જ થશે।
Mārtaṇḍa (Sūrya)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A devotee stands near a Śiva shrine in Kāśī, anxious about failing to report a task; the city itself is envisioned as a protective, purifying mantle.
FAQs
Kāśī is extolled as uniquely purifying—capable of dissolving even the sin born from failure and fear—while still affirming the ideal of honest reporting to the Lord.
Kāśī/Vārāṇasī itself is praised as a kṣetra of niṣkṛti (expiation).
No specific rite is detailed; the doctrine stated is that residence in Kāśī functions as a powerful means of expiation.