Skanda Purana — Kashi Khanda, Shloka 71
वाराणस्यां स्थितो यो वै पातकेषु रतः सदा । योनिं प्राप्यापि पैशाचीं वर्षाणामयुतत्रयम्
vārāṇasyāṃ sthito yo vai pātakeṣu rataḥ sadā | yoniṃ prāpyāpi paiśācīṃ varṣāṇāmayutatrayam
ವಾರಾಣಸಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ನೆಲೆಸಿ ಸದಾ ಪಾತಕಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ರತನಾಗಿರುವವನು, ಪೈಶಾಚೀ (ದೈತ್ಯ) ಯೋನಿಯನ್ನು ಪಡೆದರೂ ಮുപ്പತ್ತು ಸಾವಿರ ವರ್ಷ ಅದರಲ್ಲಿ ಅನುಭವಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ।
Skanda (deduced: Kāśīkhaṇḍa commonly Skanda speaking to Agastya)
Tirtha: Vārāṇasī/Kāśī
Type: kshetra
Listener: dvijas/pilgrims
Scene: A moral tableau: a resident of Kāśī indulging in vice in the shadow of temples, followed by transformation into a paiśācī yoni; above, the steady presence of Śiva and the Gaṅgā, indicating both judgment and the possibility of eventual return.
FAQs
Living in a holy city demands inner discipline; persistent sin leads to painful rebirth states despite sacred proximity.
Vārāṇasī/Kāśī as the preeminent Śaiva kṣetra where conduct matters intensely.
No explicit rite is prescribed; the teaching is ethical—avoid pātakas while residing in Kāśī.