Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 89
रक्षंति क्षेत्रमेतद्वै तथान्या नवशक्तयः । उपसर्गसहस्रेभ्यस्ता वैदिग्देवताक्रमात्
rakṣaṃti kṣetrametadvai tathānyā navaśaktayaḥ | upasargasahasrebhyastā vaidigdevatākramāt
इस क्षेत्र की रक्षा वे अन्य नौ शक्तियाँ भी करती हैं। दिग्देवताओं के क्रम के अनुसार वे हजारों उपद्रवों से इसकी रक्षा करती हैं।
Skanda (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa context) to Agastya
Tirtha: Kāśī-kṣetra (Navāśakti-rakṣā)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A schematic yet sacred vision of Kāśī as a mandala: nine Śaktis stationed at directional points, each radiating protective light, forming a fortress against ‘thousands of calamities’.
FAQs
Sacred geography is presented as a divinely structured mandala where protective powers operate in ordered harmony.
The Kāśī-kṣetra as a protected mandala guarded by Navāśakti and the directional divine order.
Implicitly, honoring the Navāśakti and the kṣetra’s directional divine arrangement as part of devotional practice.