Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 62
अभिलाषेषु सर्वेषु जागर्त्येको हृदीह मे । अद्यापि मार्गणः कोपि द्रष्टव्यः स्वतनोरपि
abhilāṣeṣu sarveṣu jāgartyeko hṛdīha me | adyāpi mārgaṇaḥ kopi draṣṭavyaḥ svatanorapi
मेरी समस्त अभिलाषाओं में मेरे हृदय में एक ही जागती है—आज भी मुझे किसी ऐसे पात्र को खोजना है, जिसे मैं अपने शरीर तक का दान देने योग्य समझूँ।
A dharmaśīla king (addressing a Brāhmaṇa)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A king in contemplation, hand on heart, scanning for a worthy ascetic or Brāhmaṇa guest; the streets/ghāṭas of Kāśī show pilgrims and mendicants, suggesting the search for the right ‘pātra’.
FAQs
The noblest longing is the longing to give—seeking opportunities for dāna as a daily spiritual vigilance.
The statement belongs to the Kāśīkhaṇḍa’s Kāśī framework, where charity and hospitality are praised as tīrtha-like acts.
No fixed rite; the ‘prescription’ is the attitude of continual dāna and searching for a worthy recipient.