Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 64
यदि नो मय्यनुक्रोशः कथं तापससंगतिः । तद्रूपेण स्वयं शंभुरानिनायेह मां ध्रुवम्
yadi no mayyanukrośaḥ kathaṃ tāpasasaṃgatiḥ | tadrūpeṇa svayaṃ śaṃbhurānināyeha māṃ dhruvam
もし私に憐れみがなかったなら、どうしてあの苦行者に出会えようか。その姿のまま、シャンブ（Śambhu）ご自身が必ずや私をここへ導かれたのだ。
Tvaṣṭṛ’s son (tvāṣṭraḥ)
Tirtha: Kāśī / Viśveśvara-kṣetra
Type: kshetra
Listener: sages
Scene: A saffron-clad ascetic with matted hair leads a bewildered devotee through Kāśī’s lanes toward a glowing shrine; the ascetic subtly radiates Śiva-like signs (third eye mark, crescent motif).
FAQs
Divine compassion can manifest as providential encounters—Śiva may guide a devotee through an ascetic form.
Kāśī is the implied destination (‘here’), consistent with Kāśī Khaṇḍa’s sacred geography.
No explicit ritual; the verse points to satsanga with holy ascetics as a grace-born spiritual aid.