Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 58
सुनेदिष्ठं करोत्येव स्वयंवर्त्मोपदेशयन् । क्वाहं तत्र वने बालश्चिंताकुलितमानसः । क्व तापसः स यो मां वै सूदिश्येह चानयत्
sunediṣṭhaṃ karotyeva svayaṃvartmopadeśayan | kvāhaṃ tatra vane bālaściṃtākulitamānasaḥ | kva tāpasaḥ sa yo māṃ vai sūdiśyeha cānayat
Ia sungguh menjadikan jalan seseorang paling mulia, dengan sendiri mengajarkan jalan itu. “Di manakah aku dahulu—hanya seorang bocah di hutan, hati gelisah oleh kecemasan—dan di manakah sang pertapa yang menuntunku dengan tepat dan membawaku ke sini?”
Tvaṣṭṛ’s son (tvāṣṭraḥ), recalling the ascetic guide as Śiva’s instrument/form
Tirtha: Kāśikā (as the guided destination)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Śaunaka-sages (frame assumed; not explicit)
Scene: A worried boy lost in a forest is approached by a radiant ascetic with kamaṇḍalu and staff, pointing the way; the path opens toward the luminous city of Kāśī in the distance.
FAQs
The Lord guides seekers from confusion to the right path—often through a human-looking teacher or ascetic.
Kāśī is implied as the ‘here’ reached by divine guidance, central to the Kāśī Khaṇḍa pilgrimage ethos.
No formal rite; the emphasis is on receiving instruction (upadeśa) and following the shown path.