Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 64
संति तीर्थान्यनेकानि बहून्यायतनानि च । अधि त्रिलोकिनो काश्याः कलामर्हंति षोडशीम्
saṃti tīrthānyanekāni bahūnyāyatanāni ca | adhi trilokino kāśyāḥ kalāmarhaṃti ṣoḍaśīm
Banyak tīrtha ada, dan banyak pula tempat suci; namun dibandingkan dengan Kāśī yang dimuliakan di tiga dunia, semuanya hanya mencapai seperenam belas bagiannya.
Skanda (to Agastya)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: null
Scene: A symbolic scale: numerous tīrthas and shrines appear as small lamps, while Kāśī shines as a great sun—measuring them as only a sixteenth in comparison.
FAQs
The Purāṇa ranks sacred places to emphasize Kāśī’s unsurpassed merit and salvific power.
Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) is directly praised as superior to other tīrthas and āyatanas.
No specific ritual is prescribed; the verse provides a comparative māhātmya (greatness) statement.