Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 4
प्रत्याश्रमं प्रतिनगं प्रत्यरण्यं तपोधनाः । किं न संति मुनिश्रेष्ठ काचिदन्यैव ते स्थितिः
pratyāśramaṃ pratinagaṃ pratyaraṇyaṃ tapodhanāḥ | kiṃ na saṃti muniśreṣṭha kācidanyaiva te sthitiḥ
Wahai resi termulia, kaya akan tapa—bukankah di setiap āśrama, di tiap gunung dan rimba ada para pertapa? Mengapa, kalau begitu, kediamanmu teguh hanya di satu tempat ini, seakan inilah satu-satunya stasiun pilihanmu?
Agastya (deduced, Kāśīkhaṇḍa dialogue context)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka and the Naimiṣāraṇya sages (frame typical; not explicit here)
Scene: A respectful interlocutor questions a great ascetic about why he remains settled in one sacred city despite the abundance of hermitages and forests elsewhere; the backdrop hints at Kāśī’s ghāṭs and temples.
FAQs
True sanctity is not merely in wilderness living; a specific sacred station can be chosen for a higher dharmic purpose.
The question anticipates the exaltation of Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) as a uniquely chosen sacred abode.
None explicitly; it is an inquiry about the rationale for residence in a particular sacred place.