Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 12
शिवभक्ताय शांताय विष्णुभक्तिपराय च । श्रद्धालवे त्वास्तिकाय गर्भवासमुपुक्षवे
śivabhaktāya śāṃtāya viṣṇubhaktiparāya ca | śraddhālave tvāstikāya garbhavāsamupukṣave
Ini ditujukan bagi bhakta Śiva yang berhati damai dan juga teguh dalam bhakti kepada Viṣṇu; bagi yang penuh śraddhā, seorang āstika, serta yang merindukan terbebas dari ikatan tinggal dalam rahim (kelahiran-ulang).
Skanda
Tirtha: Gaṅgā in Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (typical Purāṇic frame)
Scene: A serene devotee seated on a clean ghat in Kāśī, mind stilled, holding rudrākṣa and tulasī mala together, facing the flowing Gaṅgā with distant Viśveśvara spire; the verse’s ‘eligibility’ is shown as inner calm and faith rather than spectacle.
FAQs
Esoteric teachings are intended for the faithful and disciplined—those oriented to devotion and liberation.
Gaṅgā’s teaching-context in Kāśī; the verse focuses on the qualified recipient rather than a new location.
A qualification rule: the forthcoming ‘rahasya’ should be given to a śraddhālu āstika devoted to Śiva (and also Viṣṇu).