Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 24
यदाप्रभृत्यगां काश्या मंदरं सर्वसुंदरम् । महानियमवानेष तदारभ्योज्झिताशनः
yadāprabhṛtyagāṃ kāśyā maṃdaraṃ sarvasuṃdaram | mahāniyamavāneṣa tadārabhyojjhitāśanaḥ
“Sejak ia datang ke Kāśī—Mandara yang serba indah, terindah di antara semuanya—sejak saat itu ia menjalani pantang besar, dan sejak itu pula ia meninggalkan makanan.”
Śiva (continuing instruction)
Tirtha: Kāśī (as Mandara)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Nandī
Scene: A panoramic Kāśī vista—temple spires, ghāṭ steps, and luminous sky—captioned ‘Mandara’. In the foreground, Jaigīṣavya arrives with a staff and waterpot, then gradually becomes emaciated through prolonged fasting, seated near a shrine in unwavering meditation.
FAQs
Kāśī is portrayed as a supreme spiritual arena where intense niyama and renunciation mature toward divine encounter.
Kāśī is praised as ‘Mandara, most beautiful,’ indicating a sanctified locale within Kāśī’s sacred topography.
Not a prescription, but a description of a severe vrata: long-term fasting (giving up food) alongside strict niyamas.