Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 2
ईश्वर उवाच । निशामय महाबाहो विष्णो त्रैलोक्यसुंदर । प्राप्तं वाराणसीत्याख्यामविमुक्तं यथा तथा
īśvara uvāca | niśāmaya mahābāho viṣṇo trailokyasuṃdara | prāptaṃ vārāṇasītyākhyāmavimuktaṃ yathā tathā
ईश्वर बोले—हे महाबाहु विष्णु, त्रैलोक्य-सुंदर! सुनो; यह स्थान ‘वाराणसी’ नाम कैसे प्राप्त हुआ और ‘अविमुक्त’ कैसे कहलाया—वह मैं कहता हूँ।
Īśvara (Śiva)
Tirtha: Avimukta (Vārāṇasī/Kāśī)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Viṣṇu
Scene: Śiva addresses Viṣṇu in a luminous, timeless assembly, introducing the secret of Kāśī’s names—Vārāṇasī and Avimukta—suggesting the city as a radiant mandala behind them.
FAQs
Kāśī’s identity as Avimukta is divinely affirmed—Śiva declares it as a uniquely protected, never-abandoned sacred realm.
Vārāṇasī/Kāśī, specifically as Avimukta.
None; it introduces a theological account of Kāśī’s names and status.