Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 42
तदालापामृतधयौ न मे शब्दग्रहौ प्रिये । प्राणेश्वरि तदारभ्य स्यातां शब्दांतरग्रहौ
tadālāpāmṛtadhayau na me śabdagrahau priye | prāṇeśvari tadārabhya syātāṃ śabdāṃtaragrahau
प्रिय—हे प्राणेश्वरी! जब से मैं उसके मधुर संवाद-रूपी अमृत से वंचित हुआ हूँ, तब से मेरे कान सच में शब्द नहीं पकड़ते; उस समय से वे केवल ‘अन्य शब्द’ ही ग्रहण करते हैं, उसकी वाणी से रिक्त।
Skanda (contextual attribution: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (nāda/śabda sanctity)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Agastya
Scene: A close, intimate portrayal: Śiva touching his ears or holding a hand near the ear in a gesture of ‘no longer hearing’, with the absence of Gaurī suggested by an empty space or fading sound-waves.
FAQs
It teaches that true ‘hearing’ becomes meaningful when oriented to the Divine; without that presence, worldly sounds feel hollow.
The Kāśī-khaṇḍa framework glorifies Kāśī, but this verse is primarily an inner, devotional reflection rather than a site-description.
No direct ritual instruction appears; the verse elevates sacred speech and listening as devotional ideals.