Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 24
स्वर्गद्वाः स्वर्गभूरेषा मोक्षभूर्मणिकर्णिका । स्वर्गापवर्गावत्रैव नोपरिष्टान्न चाप्यधः
svargadvāḥ svargabhūreṣā mokṣabhūrmaṇikarṇikā | svargāpavargāvatraiva nopariṣṭānna cāpyadhaḥ
Maṇikarṇikā adalah gerbang surga, tanah surga itu sendiri, dan bumi pembebasan (mokṣa). Surga dan pelepasan ada di sini juga—bukan di atas, bukan pula di bawah di tempat lain.
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda → Agastya)
Tirtha: Maṇikarṇikā
Type: ghat
Scene: Maṇikarṇikā as a cosmic axis: the ghāṭ steps become a mandala; above them a radiant ‘svarga-dvāra’ and within them a luminous ‘mokṣa-bhūmi’ aura, suggesting heaven and liberation co-present in the same sacred ground.
FAQs
Kāśī’s Maṇikarṇikā is extolled as a concentrated sacred geography where the fruits of heaven and liberation are immediately accessible.
Maṇikarṇikā tīrtha/ghāṭa in Kāśī (Vārāṇasī).
No single rite is specified; the verse asserts the site’s inherent status as svargadvāra and mokṣabhū, implying pilgrimage, worship, and snāna as appropriate acts.