Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 19
दुष्टप्रवेशं धुन्वानां धुनीं देवा विनिर्ममुः । वरणां च व्यधुस्तत्र क्षेत्रविघ्ननिवारिणीम्
duṣṭapraveśaṃ dhunvānāṃ dhunīṃ devā vinirmamuḥ | varaṇāṃ ca vyadhustatra kṣetravighnanivāriṇīm
Para dewa membentuk sebuah aliran suci yang mengguncang dan menyingkirkan masuknya orang-orang durjana. Di sana pula mereka menegakkan sungai Varaṇā, penolak rintangan yang mengancam kṣetra suci itu.
Skanda (contextual, Kāśīkhaṇḍa narration)
Tirtha: Varaṇā (Varuna) and Dhūnī
Type: river
Scene: Devas conjure a bright, swirling stream (Dhūnī) that forms a protective moat; shadowy ‘wicked’ figures are gently but firmly pushed back by the current. Nearby, the river-goddess Varaṇā arises, holding a lotus and a noose-like symbol of restraint, clearing thorny obstacles from the kṣetra’s perimeter.
FAQs
The holy geography itself is portrayed as morally discerning—repelling the wicked and protecting dharmic pursuit.
Kāśī’s sacred rivers, especially the Varaṇā, integral to the identity of Vārāṇasī.
No explicit rite is stated, but the imagery supports the merit of approaching Kāśī through its sanctified waters.