Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 40
परापवादो न मया किलोक्तः परापकारोपि मया कृतो न । परस्वबुद्धिः परदारबुद्धिः कृता मया नात्र क एष पाकः
parāpavādo na mayā kiloktaḥ parāpakāropi mayā kṛto na | parasvabuddhiḥ paradārabuddhiḥ kṛtā mayā nātra ka eṣa pākaḥ
मैंने दूसरों की निंदा नहीं की, न मैंने दूसरों का अपकार किया। न मैंने पराये धन की इच्छा की, न परायी स्त्री की। फिर यहाँ मुझ पर यह कैसा फल आ पड़ा है?
A devotee/sage presenting a moral self-defense before the sacred jurisdiction of Kāśī
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (ethical mirror)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A pilgrim sits on a ghāṭ step at dusk, counting misdeeds on fingers, looking toward a shrine; the atmosphere is introspective—lamps flicker, Gaṅgā flows, and the question ‘what is this vipāka?’ hangs in the air.
FAQs
Ethical purity is foundational; the devotee examines conduct and karma when facing suffering or exclusion in a sacred domain.
Kāśī is implied as the “here” where karmic and dharmic fitness is scrutinized under the kṣetra’s spiritual order.
None; it lists core dharmic restraints—non-slander, non-harm, non-coveting wealth, and fidelity—as qualifications for spiritual life.