Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 8
विहाय षट्पुरीश्चान्याः काश्यामेवप्रतिष्ठिता । मुक्तिर्विश्वसृजा तत्किं मम मुक्तिर्न संप्रति
vihāya ṣaṭpurīścānyāḥ kāśyāmevapratiṣṭhitā | muktirviśvasṛjā tatkiṃ mama muktirna saṃprati
Dengan mengesampingkan enam kota lainnya, pembebasan tegak bersemayam di Kāśī saja—demikian ditetapkan oleh Sang Pencipta alam semesta. Jika demikian, mengapa mokṣaku belum juga tercapai sekarang?
Śivaśarman (contextual continuation of questioning)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Two gaṇas
Scene: A contemplative pilgrim stands at the threshold of Kāśī, looking toward the luminous city; above, a subtle cosmic inscription or Brahmā’s decree motif suggests ‘pratiṣṭhā’ of mukti, while the pilgrim’s face shows earnest doubt.
FAQs
Even when a place is famed for liberation, inner readiness and divine grace are implied prerequisites; the verse voices the seeker’s honest doubt.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is singled out as the uniquely established seat of liberation.
No explicit ritual is described; the focus is on Kāśī’s salvific status and the seeker’s longing for mokṣa.