Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 73
कोकिलः कोमलालापैः कलयन्किलकाकलीम् । कलिकालौ कलयतः काशीस्थान्नेतिभाषते
kokilaḥ komalālāpaiḥ kalayankilakākalīm | kalikālau kalayataḥ kāśīsthānnetibhāṣate
Kukila, merangkai nada lembut menjadi nyanyian manisnya, seakan berkata kepada mereka yang hanya menghitung kekasaran zaman Kali: “Bagi yang berdiam di Kāśī, tidaklah demikian!”
Skanda (deduced; poetic praise of Kāśī)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Scene: A cuckoo sings sweetly as if delivering a message: those who lament Kali’s bitterness are consoled—Kāśī-dwellers are not bound by that harshness; the city’s sacred aura is implied.
FAQs
Even in Kali-yuga’s decline, Kāśī remains a special refuge where spiritual benefit and auspiciousness are not diminished.
Kāśī itself—celebrated as Avimukta, a timeless sanctuary even in Kali-yuga.
None explicitly; the verse implies the merit of residing in or taking shelter in Kāśī.