Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 51
श्रीविष्णुरुवाच । अग्निबिंदो मुनिश्रेष्ठ स्थास्याम्यहमिह ध्रुवम् । काशीभक्तिमतां पुंसां मुक्तिमार्गं समादिशन्
śrīviṣṇuruvāca | agnibiṃdo muniśreṣṭha sthāsyāmyahamiha dhruvam | kāśībhaktimatāṃ puṃsāṃ muktimārgaṃ samādiśan
શ્રીવિષ્ણુએ કહ્યું—હે અગ્નિબિંદુ, મુનિશ્રેષ્ઠ! હું અહીં નિશ્ચયે ધ્રુવરૂપે નિત્ય નિવાસ કરીશ અને કાશીભક્ત પુરુષોને મુક્તિમાર્ગનો ઉપદેશ આપશ।
Śrī Viṣṇu
Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Agnibindu
Scene: Śrī Viṣṇu addresses the sage Agnibindu in Kāśī, declaring His unwavering residence there to guide Kāśī-devotees to mokṣa; backdrop of Gaṅgā ghāṭs and temple spires.
FAQs
Devotion to Kāśī is portrayed as a direct qualification for receiving instruction in mokṣa, with the deity’s abiding presence supporting liberation.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī), celebrated as a liberation-giving sacred geography (sthāla-māhātmya).
No specific rite is prescribed here; the emphasis is on bhakti to Kāśī and guidance toward mokṣa.