Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 96
शिष्या ऊचुः । शृण्वंत्वाराध्यचरणा नोपसर्गोत्र कश्चन । नान्नक्षयो वा सर्वस्यां नगर्यामिह कुत्रचित्
śiṣyā ūcuḥ | śṛṇvaṃtvārādhyacaraṇā nopasargotra kaścana | nānnakṣayo vā sarvasyāṃ nagaryāmiha kutracit
Para murid berkata: “Dengarkanlah, wahai yang kaki sucinya patut dipuja: di sini sama sekali tiada bencana; dan di seluruh kota ini tidak ada kekurangan makanan di mana pun.”
Disciples of Vyāsa
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: Guru (addressed as ārādhya-caraṇa)
Scene: Disciples stand before the guru with folded hands, confidently reporting: no affliction, no food scarcity anywhere in the city; background shows abundant markets and calm households.
FAQs
Kāśī is portrayed as protected; when hardship appears, its cause may be subtle rather than material calamity.
Kāśī/Vārāṇasī as a city free from common afflictions in the purāṇic imagination.
None; the verse is a report about the city’s well-being.