Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 42
कुपितोपि हि मे रुद्रस्तेजोहानिं विधास्यति । काश्यां च लप्स्ये तत्तेजो यद्वै स्वात्मावबोधजम्
kupitopi hi me rudrastejohāniṃ vidhāsyati | kāśyāṃ ca lapsye tattejo yadvai svātmāvabodhajam
રુદ્ર મારા પર ક્રોધિત થાય તો પણ તે મારા બાહ્ય તેજનો હ્રાસ કરી શકે; પરંતુ કાશીમાં હું આત્મબોધથી જન્મેલું તે સત્ય તેજ પ્રાપ્ત કરીશ।
Skanda (deduced, Kāśī-khaṇḍa norm: Skanda to Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Mumukṣu-oriented audience in the frame dialogue
Scene: A devotee in Kāśī sits near a liṅga with eyes closed; his outer ornaments fade while a bright inner flame glows at the heart/forehead; Rudra appears stern in the sky yet the devotee’s inner light intensifies.
FAQs
Worldly brilliance can be lost, but Kāśī grants the higher ‘tejas’ of Self-knowledge, which is the enduring spiritual attainment.
Kāśī is glorified as the place where the radiance born of Self-realization is attained.
No explicit ritual is stated; the verse points to Kāśī as a jñāna-kṣetra where realization is the central attainment.