Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 10
दिव्य द्विज उवाच । क एष लोको ऽल्पश्रीकः स्वल्पपुण्यजनाकृतिः । क इमे विकृताकारा ब्रूतमेतन्ममाग्रतः
divya dvija uvāca | ka eṣa loko 'lpaśrīkaḥ svalpapuṇyajanākṛtiḥ | ka ime vikṛtākārā brūtametanmamāgrataḥ
ದಿವ್ಯ ದ್ವಿಜನು ಹೇಳಿದರು—ಇದು ಯಾವ ಲೋಕ, ಅಲ್ಪಶ್ರೀಯುಕ್ತವೂ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪಪುಣ್ಯಜನರಿಂದ ತುಂಬಿರುವುದೂ? ಮತ್ತು ಈ ವಿಕೃತಾಕಾರದ ಜೀವಿಗಳು ಯಾರು? ನನ್ನ ಮುಂದೆ ಸ್ಪಷ್ಟವಾಗಿ ಹೇಳಿರಿ.
Divya Dvija (the celestial brāhmaṇa traveler)
Tirtha: Kāśī (Avimukta)
Type: kshetra
Listener: Ṛṣis (frame typical; not explicit here)
Scene: A luminous celestial brāhmaṇa, startled, points toward a bleak worldscape populated by diminished, weary humans and strange misshapen beings; the two gaṇas stand as calm interpreters, ready to explain.
FAQs
Cosmic conditions mirror karma: diminished merit leads to diminished splendor and troubled states of existence.
Kāśī remains the overarching sacred frame, but the verse itself discusses other realms rather than a local tīrtha.
None explicitly; it sets up a teaching on karmic consequences.