Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 76
कस्त्वमत्र कृतांतस्य भवनं मधुराकृते । प्राप्तो मे मंदभाग्यायाश्चेतोवृत्तिं निरुंधयन्
kastvamatra kṛtāṃtasya bhavanaṃ madhurākṛte | prāpto me maṃdabhāgyāyāścetovṛttiṃ niruṃdhayan
हे मधुराकृति! तुम यहाँ कृतान्त (मृत्यु) के भवन में कौन हो? तुम आकर मुझ अभागिनी के चित्त की चंचल वृत्तियों को रोककर स्थिर कर देती हो।
Vidyādharī (addressing a heroic protector/visitor)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya (frame); within episode, a female speaker addresses a ‘sweet-formed’ person
Scene: A frightened speaker stands at a shadowed threshold described as Kṛtānta’s abode; a radiant, sweet-formed figure appears, calming the speaker’s restless mind amid an ominous, otherworldly atmosphere.
FAQs
Even in the shadow of death, a righteous presence can steady the mind; inner composure is portrayed as a form of protection.
Kāśī is implied by the Kāśīkhaṇḍa setting; the verse evokes Kāśī’s power to confront fear and mortality.
No explicit rite is stated here; the emphasis is on mental restraint and courage amid danger.