Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 35
एतदिच्छाम्यहं श्रोतुमाचक्षाथां ममाग्रतः । सतां साप्तपदी मैत्री तन्मे मैत्र्या प्रणोदितौ
etadicchāmyahaṃ śrotumācakṣāthāṃ mamāgrataḥ | satāṃ sāptapadī maitrī tanme maitryā praṇoditau
ನಾನು ಇದನ್ನು ಕೇಳಲು ಇಚ್ಛಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ—ನನ್ನ ಮುಂದೆಯೇ ಸ್ಪಷ್ಟವಾಗಿ ಹೇಳಿರಿ. ಸತ್ಪುರುಷರಲ್ಲಿ ‘ಸಪ್ತಪದಿ’ಯಿಂದ ಮೈತ್ರಿ ದೃಢವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ; ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಮೈತ್ರಿಯಿಂದ ಪ್ರೇರಿತರಾಗಿ ನನಗೆ ಹೇಳಿರಿ।
Agastya (deduced: Kāśī-khaṇḍa commonly frames Skanda–Agastya dialogue; here the listener requests the Gaṇas to speak)
Tirtha: Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: A dvija/brāhmaṇa inquirer
Scene: A learned brāhmaṇa, hands folded, requests a confidential teaching from Śiva’s gaṇas in a Kāśī setting—ghāṭa steps, bilva trees, and a subtle aura of sanctity.
FAQs
True spiritual instruction flows through trust and friendship grounded in dharma, like the ‘seven-step’ bond among the virtuous.
The broader context is Kāśī (Vārāṇasī) in the Kāśī-khaṇḍa, where teachings are presented as part of Kāśī’s spiritual greatness.
No direct ritual is prescribed here; it introduces a request for authoritative teaching prompted by sacred friendship.